The project you are about to engage with is a brief but in depth look at the lives and experiences of Indigenous women.  As group members, we have come together to explore the role of Indigenous women in their pre-colonial existence, the tragedies they experienced through colonization, their marginalization and experiences of violence as well as their tremendous resilience and on-going activism and leadership within their communities.   Through our work and the sharing of Indigenous women’s voices, we hope to bring a greater awareness to the ways that we, as practicing and future social workers, can engage in a decolonizing practice that honours the wisdom and strength of Indigenous women.

Colonization and racism continue to have an enormous impacts on the lives of Indigenous women.  The negative perceptions that exist among Canadian society contributes to violence, oppression and traumas experienced by Indigenous women.  By bringing consciousness to the discrimination, de-valuing and negative stereotyping experienced by Indigenous women, we hope to begin undoing the knots that tightly hold them in marginalized places across communities and cultures.  We also hope to highlight how remarkable these women are in their ability to connect with each other and “reclaim their authority and rightful place in the community” (Muise in Anderson & Lawrence, 2003, p. 35). 

Most importantly, whether or not you are a future or current practitioner, we hope you will be inspired to begin your own process of decolonization.

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