This Is About (Native) Women’s Rematriation: Indigenous Methodology Storying a Rebirthing of Kinship and Balance Across Women’s Work and Life Roles

This Is About (Native) Women’s Rematriation: Indigenous Methodology Storying a Rebirthing of Kinship and Balance Across Women’s Work and Life Roles

Indigenous peoples

Kristen Walker

Pilar E.Gauthier

2024

The University of Wisconsin

Dissertation

English

North America

Restricted Access

Native American women play a pivotal role in unraveling patriarchal influences, which have far-reaching gender implications in their traditional social systems and organized labor. Much of what is understood about their life roles is in the context of Western labor statistics and economic indicators, which compare data, such as vocational and economic trajectories, to non-Native American values. Contributing to the growing number of Indigenous-based epistemologies and methodologies for working with communities who have experienced colonization and exploitation in academic science, the current study centered on the paradigm drawn from the author’s Indigenous worldview and understanding of the Menominee Theory of Oma͞eqnomenēwak Ma͞ehnow Pemātesekan (Menominee Good Way of Life) as its epistemology and research methodology. Using an Indigenous framework allowed the author to situate Native women’s gendered experiences in pre-colonial gender norms and U.S. historical context into their understanding of wellbeing which provided inroads into how research and vocational psychology understand the intersection of social, economic, and work disparities they face. Guided by Oma͞eqnomenēwak Ma͞ehnow Pemātesekan ethical protocols and Native American women knowledge guides, the author invited 15 Native American women (knowledge holders) from the Midwest to share stories about their life roles. Following the request of the women knowledge holders, their stories, along with the author’s in-between space experiences and meaning-making, were weaved together to form one personhood called Nētekaeh (my sister). The findings are presented across four seasons and describe Nētekaeh's trajectory of resilience and growth in her understanding of life roles and include (a) Sīkwan (spring): Rebirthing women’s kinship brings awareness about their experiences, (b) Nēpen (summer): Cultural resilience serves as an opportunity to restore balance, (c) Takuakōwew (autumn): (i) Women’s voices and knowledge must be recognized and honored and (ii) We must address issues of safety that concern women’s wellbeing, and (d) Pepōn (winter): Reflecting on our sources of knowledge leads to new beginnings. These seasonal markers highlight women’s gifts of wisdom that teach us how their life roles are shaped by cultural identity, values, and resilience, which set the stage for their vocational identities and allow them to strategize around barriers toward community wellness and cultural survivance. Implications for clinical settings, outreach/policy/consultation, and Indigenous methodologies in research are provided to advance the understanding of Indigenous self-determination in their conceptualization of wellness.