Where Do I Get Porcupine Quills?
Date
2019-03-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0001-8777-8525
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Doctoral
Abstract
In Canada, and around the world, research ‘about’ or ‘on’ Indigenous peoples has traditionally been carried out at the expense of the peoples it was supposed to benefit. Many authors have proposed methods to increase the cultural appropriateness and respectfulness of the research. This research proposed using a traditional Dakota way of preserving and sharing knowledge (winter count) as a method that was culturally relevant and respected Indigenous ways of knowing to explore what First Nations youth believed contributed to their well-being. It incorporated aspects, principles, and concepts from Community based participatory research, Two-Eyed Seeing, postcolonial theory, and cultural safety.
The objectives for this research were a) to review and renew the winter count legacy in the community of Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation through the youth, b) to build capacity within the participating youth to create and perpetuate winter counts that are tools for knowledge translation and transfer, c) to explore the utility, cultural appropriateness, and potential of winter counts as a visual research methodology, and d) to discover what these First Nation youth believe are important events in their lives that have contributed to their well-being and who they are today
Fifteen First Nations youth participated in learning about winter counts, creating an individual winter count, and sharing their winter counts with their peers, Elders, and teacher and in individual interviews. Several important lessons were learned. Lessons from the youth about well-being included the importance of contributions from physical activity, success, culture and spirituality, and relationships. Lessons about winter counts suggest that they are a way to build capacity about and understandings of traditional practices, a tool to prompt discussion, a tool for self-expression and creativity, a visual method, and culturally respectful research method. Most importantly, the winter count is dynamic and pragmatic and its potential for knowledge sharing is limitless. Many additional lessons about the process of this research were learned. These lessons have been articulated through a wise practices framework, which includes values and considerations that are essential in research with Indigenous peoples. Wise practices in research are those that are adaptable, flexible, creative, reflexive, pragmatic, respectful, and culturally and locally relevant.
Description
Keywords
winter count, indigenous methodology, indigenous youth, wellness, nursing research, visual method, wise practices
Citation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Nursing
Program
Nursing