Quantcast IMOW - Bellydancers
Stories
[close]
Themes
What Defines Your Generation of Women?
[close]
Love
Relationships in changing times. See the Stories>>

Money
Working women talk finances. See the Stories>>

Culture and Conflict
Are we destined to disagree? See the Stories>>

The Future
Envisioning the next 30 years. See the Stories>>

Highlights
Highlighted stories in film, art, music and more. See the Stories>>

War & Dialogue
Speaking from war. Advocating peace. See the Stories>>

Young Men
Our generation: young men speak out. See the Stories>>

Motherhood
Women get candid about pregnancy, parenting and choice. See the Stories>>

Image and Identity
Appearances aren't everything, or are they? See the Stories>>

Online Film Festival
31 films from women directors around the world. See the Stories>>

A Generation Defined
Who are young women today? See the Stories>>

Best of Contest
You came, you saw, you voted. Here are the winners. See the Stories>>
Conversations
[close]
What Defines Your Generation of Women?
selected theme



HOME  |   EXPLORE OTHER THEMES     |   STORIES     |  CONVERSATION    |  EVENTS  |  TAKE ACTION  |  ABOUT
Search:  
  GO  
REGISTER  |  LOGIN Change Language»    Invite a friend »
STORY OPTIONS
READ STORY IN
PRINT
SAVE TO YOUR SAVED STORIES
SUBSCRIBE TO STORY
SEND THIS STORY TO A FRIEND
ADD YOUR STORY
TAKE ACTION
• Support IDEX
 Help give training and resources to women
• Make Some Noise!
 Join Amnesty International in the effort to end violence against women--with this innovative campaign using popular music!
STATISTICS:
•Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, Romania and Spain have the lowest average number of childbirths per woman - 1.2.
•In almost all Western and former Soviet countries, the birth rate is now below the replacement level.
Bellydancers
Jaime Koebel
CanadaGALLERYCONVERSATION
My belly dancers – Dancing Fawn and Rainbow Dancer

This digitally enhanced photograph is actually a picture of my pregnant belly at 29 weeks with a set of twin girls. The inscription inside my belly represents my unborn daughters through their Cree names: “Onneemeetoo Apsimoosisis” or Dancing Fawn and “Pisimooyappi Ooneemeetoo” or Rainbow Dancer. They were born dancing on February 1, 2002.

I decided that I would give my girls the best that I could offer in life, which includes being proud of their Aboriginal heritage as part Cree and part Mohawk. So while at the hospital in labor, we practiced a traditional welcoming ceremony with a Cree Elder for our daughters that included burning sweetgrass in the hospital. Sweetgrass emits a sweet smelling smoke that can cause problems in a hospital but it was important for us to practice the ceremony because I want my daughters and the world to know that although we don’t live in a traditional world, there is still room to practice and be proud of our cultural traditions.
FLAG THIS STORY FOR REVIEW
COMMENTS ABOUT THIS STORY
Add
Ada Cryer (United States)
Beatiful. We selected our son's name for the same reason. African tradition is to name for a characteristic you want them to have and we selected Djali - which means story teller in African.
Vanessa Garcia (Venezuela)
La tradición me parece tan importante, creo que a mucha gente la hace falta la sensación de que pertenecen a algo más grande, que tienen raíces. Jaime, me gusto mucho leer tu historia y leer sobre la ceremonia de bienvenida.
Anila Umar (Canada)
Hi Jamie :) So glad you could be a part of this great global gathering & show the world just how strong & beautiful Canadian women are. I'm on the "relationships" page. Much love & respect to you and your family. Anila Umar, Calgary, AB
Imagining Ourselves Team (United States)
Is the role of mothers the same across different cultures?
 
ADDED STORIES (1)
Add
 
Maria Villanueva
Philippines, the		   
RELATED ITEMS (12)

 
Anna Wiśniewska
Poland
Maternity is one of the most important and at the same the...
GO TO STORY »
Achinoam Nini
Israel
as i write these words, i am feeling tired, which is not...
GO TO STORY »
Valentina Campos
Bolivia
These days I believe in a turning back, a sprouting. I...
GO TO STORY »
Swarupa Shah
India
I have been working with photographs, text, and thread as a...
GO TO STORY »
©2008 International Museum of Women / Privacy Policy and Disclaimer / Translated by 101translations / Change Language
The content in this exhibit does not necessarily represent the opinions of the International Museum of Women, or its partners or sponsors.