Haudenosaunee Women as Mothers of the Nation: Resilience in the Wake of Indian Residential School Legacies

This case study illustrates Haudenosaunee women's individual and collective strengths as 'mothers of the nation' in the wake of Indian residential school legacies. While most studies focus on at risk populations in research about the effects of Indian residential school, this case study privileges the Haudenosaunee concept of 'mothers of the nation' as a manifestation of resilience which is fundamental to building a self-determined identity. Insights were gathered from the narrative data of open ended questions from 13 structured interviews of Haudenosaunee women from Six Nations of the Grand River, Canada, who had a family member attend an Indian residential school. The women discussed their lived experiences of the intergenerational impacts to their health and wellbeing of having a family member attend an Indian residential school; and, their self-determined responses to healing for themselves and their community, which retells the fact 'despite all the harms done to us …we are still here', The concept of 'mothering' within a Haudenosaunee perspective does not have the same meaning as it does in other cultural contexts. Although one understanding of mothering is related to the literal meaning of biological reproduction, mothering also encompasses other roles, such as caring for all the children of one's clan, caring for the earth, and sharing responsibilities for the wellbeing of the community (Sunseri, 2011, p 72), Individual and collective resiliencies nurtured by these mothers of the nation included: language and cultural renewal, overcoming abusive relationships, self-reflection and ongoing healing, ending the cycle of abuse with their own children, reflecting on the healing interactions between their own children and grandparents (former attendees of Indian residential school) , choosing careers in the 'helping' professions or professions that were influential to their own personal healing, or assuming leadership positions within the community, and expressing concern to help community members break the cycle of dependency.