The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters
This is the newest book by the author of the equally good Berry Pickers. Birthing Tree tells the story of Kiju and her granddaughter, Aliet in eastern Canada. Kiju has been a healer and a midwife for years but then the citizens of the town decided forbade her from delivering babies anymore, which broke her heart. Aliet lives with her because her own mother died giving birth to her, without saying who the father was. It's a fascinating story about the lives of these Mi'kmaw women who find the other members of their tribe are becoming fewer and fewer each year as they try to maintain the traditions and customs of their people.