| Abstract |
--Description taken from "Cree Ways of Helping:An Indigenist Research Project"--
Despite continuing to face colonial oppression. Indigenous peoples have maintained and continue to use our own ways of helping. These ways are based on Indigenous worldviews. The generalized characteristics of these worldviews and ways of helping are apparently different from the worldviews that dominate many areas of the world, namely the generalized Amer-European worldviews. Social work reflects this domination in that the ways of helping most often provided in the profession are those stemming from Amer-European society. I have attempted to add to the body of work countering this situation through this thesis.
I first ground the thesis by providing an overview of Indigenous Worldviews, which includes discussions on Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous ways of helping, Cree Worldviews, and Cree ways of helping. To develop an understanding of the domination that Indigenous peoples face, I then provide an overview of colonization that includes discussions on how Indigenous Worldviews and ways of helping are blinded and marginalized. The theoretical means to overcoming this domination follows the discussion on colonialism. The means on which I concentrate are decolonization, anti-colonialism, and Indigenism.
Once I grounded the thesis in these overviews of worldviews, colonialism, and means of addressing colonialism, I outline the approach to my research. As I found approaches stemming from the paradigms of postpositivism, critical theory, and interpretivism to be unsuitable for this research, I outlined a paradigm that reflects the stance of radical indigenism (Garroutte, 2003). This Indigenous paradigm argues for reasserting and rebuilding traditional knowledge from its fundamental principles (Garroutte, 2003) and is based on the framework presented by Wilson (2001). Reflecting this framework, I outline the basic concepts in generalized Indigenous ontology, epistemology, methodology, and axiology.
From this point I present my research design. This Indigenous design is based upon my relationship and directed conversations with ten people I know, six who are Elders and four who are Cree social workers who utilize Cree ways of helping in their practice. The people interviewed are from reserves stemming from the territory now referred to as Western Canada, specifically Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta since the Cree people from these areas are more interconnected with one another than with the Crees from the rest of the Cree territory.
Thirteen themes emerged from our conversations. The titles I gave these themes are as follows: Negativity, Hurting Others, Colonial Oppression and Healer Stress, Use of Amer-European Ways of Helping, An Ongoing Process to Learning and Helping, Listening and Presence, Ceremonies, Identity, Language, Role Modelling, Spirituality, Connection to Land and Place Use of Stories, Values and Teachings, and Wícihitowin. I follow the presentation of the results with an overview of my thoughts on the themes. This overview ties the themes together in a tapestry on Cree ways of helping. I then relate the themes to the literature review on worldviews, colonialism, and decolonization, anti-colonialism, and indigenism. The thesis ends with my reflection on Cree ways of helping and my messages on Indigenous social work research, social work education, and social work practice, as well as my messages to Indigenous peoples and Indigenous helpers. |