A Mohawk Maternity Session in Boucherville, at Golden Hour
The first story in Carried, where mamas share the culture and traditions they carry into motherhood, in their own words.
Some sessions stay with me long after the last frame. This was one of them.
Chloe and Storm are from the Mohawk community of Kahnawà:ke, and when they reached out about their maternity session, I told them to bring something meaningful to them that we could photograph and integrate organically into the session. The regalia and the feather headpiece you'll see here are so much more than beautiful objects. They carry identity, family, history, and a deep connection to the ancestors who came before them.
As they prepare to welcome their baby boy, these photographs became something bigger than maternity portraits. They became a celebration of where this little one comes from, and of all the generations standing quietly behind him.
We met on the Boucherville Islands at golden hour, with the light going soft and warm over the water. Watching the two of them together was genuinely moving. The love, the pride, the excitement for their son, it was in every glance and every small gesture. Surrounded by all that nature, they made images that hold both the tenderness of motherhood and the strength of their roots.
The pieces they wore, in Chloe's words
I asked Chloe to tell me about the pieces they chose, because every one of them has a story. Here it is, in her words:
"The fan with the feathers I had in my lap is from a red hawk. It's usually used for prayers and ceremonies, to fan away negative energy. The feather headpiece Storm is wearing is called a Kastowa. It's made of eagle feathers, and the three feathers on his kastowa represent the Mohawk people. Storm actually made his kastowa himself. Wearing it is a reflection of pride, respect, and the strength of our people. His vest is handmade by a Mohawk beader, his mother. And the traditional ribbon skirt I’m wearing was made by my best friend, a talented Mohawk beader from Kahnawà:ke/Kanehsatà:ke the creator behind ‘creations by Kawisaienhne'."
There's something I love about knowing that nearly everything in these photos was made by hand, by people who love them. His mother beaded the vest. Her best friend made the skirt. Storm made his own kastowa. The family is quite literally woven into the frame.
That detail of the three feathers isn't a small thing, either. Among the Haudenosaunee, the Six Nations Confederacy that the Mohawk belong to, each nation has its own feather arrangement on the kastowa, and three upright eagle feathers mark the wearer as Mohawk. So Storm isn't only wearing something he made with his own hands. He's wearing his nation.
A child is raised by a whole circle
When I asked her about pregnancy, childbirth and how children are raised in her culture, Chloe shared something that I haven't stopped thinking about since. Again, in her words:
"In our culture, raising a child has never been the responsibility of a mother alone. Grandmothers, aunties, and other women in the family play a vital role in helping to nurture, teach, and support both mother and child. Grandmothers and our elders are respected as keepers of wisdom, sharing life lessons, stories, and cultural knowledge that connect children to their ancestors. Aunties provide guidance, encouragement, and care, helping children feel surrounded by love and belonging. Together, we create a strong circle of support that helps raise the next generation."
These traditions look different from one family to the next, and many are personal or sacred, so they're not really mine to detail. But the broader picture is beautiful. In many Mohawk and Haudenosaunee teachings, a pregnant mother is seen as carrying the spirit, a bridge between the spiritual and physical worlds, which makes caring for her a responsibility the whole community shares rather than a private family matter. Mohawk communities have also been reclaiming birth as ceremony, welcoming babies surrounded by family and cradled in their language, traditions, and medicines. After decades when many Indigenous women were forced to leave home to give birth, that return to community feels like its own kind of homecoming.
This is also rooted in something much larger than one family. Mohawk society is matrilineal, which means clan and family identity pass from mother to child, and women hold a central leadership role within the community. In many Haudenosaunee teachings, all the women of a household helped care for the children, aunties were regarded as mothers, and grandparents held an honoured place in raising the little ones.
I think about how much that idea overlaps with something I say all the time, that a mother was never meant to do this alone. Here it isn't a wish. It's a whole structure, carried for generations.
What this session meant to me
It was a privilege to document this chapter for Chloe and Storm, and to be trusted with something so personal. I learned so much in those two hours by the water, about their traditions, their values, and the world this little boy is being born into.
This is also the first story in a small personal project I’m starting today: Carried, where I sit down with mamas from different cultures and communities and let them tell me about the traditions they carry into motherhood. I make the photographs. They tell the story. I can't think of a more beautiful family to begin with.
If you're expecting and you have pieces, rituals, or parts of your own heritage you'd love to bring into your session, please bring them. The most meaningful images I make are almost always the ones that carry a story like this one.
Every family carries something worth holding onto. If this story stirred something in you, come see more of these connection-filled sessions in my maternity portfolio. And when you're ready to tell your own story, I'd love to hear it. You can get in touch here or book your session whenever the time feels right.
FAQ
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A kastowa is a traditional Mohawk feather headpiece worn by men. It's often made with turkey and other feathers and topped with standing eagle feathers, and the arrangement of those feathers identifies the wearer's nation within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
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Three upright eagle feathers identify the wearer as Mohawk. Each of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee has its own distinct feather configuration.
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The Boucherville Islands are a favourite of mine for outdoor maternity sessions. The open water, big skies, and soft natural light make it especially beautiful at golden hour, just a short drive from Montreal and the South Shore.
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Golden hour, the hour or so before sunset, gives you that warm, flattering light that wraps around everything. It's almost always when I schedule outdoor sessions.
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Absolutely, and I'd love it if you did. Whether it's regalia, heirlooms, or small pieces with a story, meaningful objects often make the most powerful images.
