“Taking our blindfolds off”: Acknowledging the vision of First Nations peoples for nursing and midwifery

“You need to take your blindfolds off and come back to the fire”. These were the words of a First Nations Elder and a custodian of the sacred fire speaking to Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) delegates and educational researchers during a recent visit to
the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. These words called to us to remember and to acknowledge our ways of knowing, doing and being as First Nations health professionals and researchers.2 They also called to all who were present to critically reflect on our professional stance and practices as nurses, midwives and researchers in the light of the fire. This editorial responds to and draws on the words of a First Nations Elder, to remind us all of the importance of who
we are, where we have come from and our place, position, and traditional practices within the Australian nursing and midwifery profession.