"We are Stories, Not Labels:" Anishinaabekweg Childrearing Experiences

Abstract

First Nations mothers are subject to various colonization attempts, including labelling as deviant parents, both in historical and contemporary contexts. Through the application of a micro-lens to one Anishinaabeg community, known as Opwaaganisiniing or the Red Rock Indian Band, in Northern Ontario, this research 1) highlights how Euro-Canadian labels, both past and present, have impacted childrearing and 2) uncovers resistant and persistent Anishinaabe mothering principles and practices. Decolonizing Praxis and Indigenous Methodology supplement the western theoretical approach of Labelling Theory. Labelling Theory has never been applied to Indigenous communities; however, it can be useful to describe how dominant societal labels can be damaging (causing shame and stigma) yet inversely empowering (developing resistance) for marginalized peoples. An archival study looked at historical government and religious documents to determine the historical labels applied to people in the community, and 14 Indigenous female parents were recruited from members of the Red Rock Indian Band to determine the contemporary labels that exist today. A conversational methods approach was used to elicit labels and stories from the parents. Indigenous narrative methods were undertaken to draw out meaning from the stories and anecdotes told by the parents. Despite the persistence of historical labels, it was found that contemporary parents use kinship and reclamation to resist these labels.