The Tikinagan research team has now completed “phase 2” interviews in three of the eight communities involved in the project. The goal of this phase is to interview people involved in three cases or “stories” in each community, in order to gain a fuller perspective on how Tikinagan is working with families and communities. We are in the process of interviewing family members, sometimes including children, community workers, and community members involved in each specific case. In one community, for example, we were able to interview five children, two parents, and two grandparents related to one story.
Although being interviewed on such sensitive issues was difficult for people being interviewed, most participated with the very specific purpose of wanting to contribute to make child welfare better in their communities. Many people expressed the importance of sharing their story. Some people articulated appreciation that Tikinagan was there to offer support and help pull their family through a very tough time. Other people offered very useful insights into the ways that Tikinagan can provide better supports to families. The stories with the most positive outcomes seemed to be the ones where an extended family came together to support children.
Caring for Children: The Context of Northern First Nation Communities
The challenges that are faced by these communities, such as poverty, were quite apparent. In one community, for example, the school had a mould issue and was closed up for good a few years back. The community does not have the funds to build another gym, which means there is no recreational space for kids and youth- very problematic for an isolated community. The food costs were shocking, as well as the rental costs for houses and hydro bills.It is understandable that caring for children under these conditions can be a challenge. A lot of pressure is put on families going through child welfare cases when their communities are underprovided with mental health services, programs for youth, etc.
Ultimately this research project is about kids and how they can be better cared for and protected by their communities in culturally appropriate ways, and so hearing from them is an important aspect of this project. Interviewing children was a highlight of the trip for me. The way that children can relate their experiences with attention to seemingly small details adds such a unique dimension to the stories. Elders, who often take part in child rearing, showed a deep commitment and passion for keeping the culture vibrant and passing it on to youth. It was very obvious to me that people in the communities care deeply about the children and youth, and many people are doing all they can to improve their circumstances and give them hope for the future.
One Tikinagan worker’s dedication to kids and youth stood out as particularly inspiring. She was working in a community where families described a serious lack of basic social support services. Although this worker was technically just working for Tikinagan, she was also informally a social planner, youth advocate, mental health worker, and a crisis worker, stepping in to fill gaps throughout the entire community with the goal of protecting youth and creating spaces for their healthy development.
One community we visited was home to one of the First Nations members of the research team. His connections to the community enabled us to interview 13 people. Given that it is summer and people are often out on the land and doing other things, this can be considered a great success. Having a Community Researcher who lives in one of the communities is so important for building trust and maintaining community involvement in the research project.People with questions, concerns, or suggestions about the project often approach him, which helps guide the team in its research practices.
This Community Researcher shared his fishing expertise one evening, when he took me out fishing with his grandkids. We caught enough walleye for us all to have dinner. In another community, the Tikinagan worker took us out on the land for a tasty cookout meal of goose and caribou. Despite resistance to research among First Nations due to past projects that have not involved community consultation, and the sensitive nature of talking about child welfare practices, I felt very welcomed into both communities.
The Answers are "In the Community"
Each trip into a community is a learning process that requires constant deliberation on how to carry out interviews in the most culturally appropriate way possible. Narrative and storytelling is a fundamental means of communication in Nishnawbe culture and it’s remarkable the stories that come out when interviewers leave space for people to truly speak. Now, in beginning the analysis of the interview data, we are trying to create a holistic way of understanding the stories as narratives and presenting the findings in a way that is true to the people who have shared their experiences with us.
What is clear from my experiences is that while on one hand, First Nations are dealing with historical trauma and unacceptable levels of poverty, the dedication and creativity to make the lives of children better is alive and thriving in these communities. When communities have the resources to deal with their problems, creative solutions emerge. Visiting and doing interviews in communities reaffirms the notion that the hope for Aboriginal children in Ontario’s North clearly lies in First Nation endeavours to care for their own kids, heal their own communities, and strengthen Nishnawbe culture.
The research team will be heading to Kasabonika, Ontario in late August to present the preliminary findings of the project at the annual Nishnawbe-Aski Chief’s Assembly. There is likely to be a lot of interesting questions and insights from the Chiefs. We will be busy in August and September continuing to interview families to learn from their stories.
