CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY

In an effort to articulate and advance an Indigenous research agenda, this project incorporated the use of two research methods: autoethnography and Indigenous storytelling. Through the use of autoethnography and storytelling, my story and those of the storytellers who participated in this project, will contribute to a larger picture based on our combined experiences as First Nations women, students, and mothers. Storytelling is perhaps the oldest practice in human history (Chang, 2008). Sharing the stories of Indigenous Peoples who experience colonization using methods such as autoethnography and storytelling is an integral part of the efforts aimed at decolonization (Sium & Ritskes, 2013). Both of these methods resulted in narratives that were critically analyzed and coded.

I wrote this paper with a sense of eagerness that included both optimism and pessimism. Do I think that this work will change the world and render all those who read it fulfilled and decolonized? Sadly, no. Although, I do hope that the resultant collective story will provide inspiration to others who will help contribute to the movement for decolonization and perhaps support a change in the dialogue that exists when we speak of First Nations Peoples within post- secondary education.

Storytellers

The First Nations mothers (myself included) who participated in this research were students in varying levels of university at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Seven women partook in this research, sharing our stories and experiences as First Nations

students and mothers. The mothers were between the ages of 18 and 35 years of age and began or returned to university after becoming a mother. The ages of their children varied and the number of children each mother had also varied. What was consistent and present throughout the interviews was the pride and love that each of the women had for their child(ren).

Autoethnography

Ellis, Adams and Bochner (2011) describe autoethnography as a research and writing approach which seeks to both describe and systematically analyze the personal experiences of the writer in order to better understand cultural experiences. They continue by explaining that as a method, autoethnography is characterized by a combination of both autobiography and ethnography (Ellis et al., 2011). Tierney (1998) explains that “autoethnography and life stories are powerful research tools that ultimately enable a writer to deal with differences and to ensure that, in doing so, people are not all assimilated into one mainstream sameness” (p. 49). Autoethnography, as explained by Custer (2014) “is a style of autobiographical writing and qualitative research that explores an individual’s unique life experiences in relationship to social and cultural institutions” (p1).

Whitinui (2014) presents an Indigenous form of autoethnography and describes it as “discovering, exploring, constructing, and narrating notions of “self” as an indigenous person” (p.3) and how this “must take into account an individual’s ability to articulate meaning in relation to why their world is socially, culturally, and politically different as an indigenous person” (p. 3). This is something I have made sure to consider along the way; constantly referring back to this idea of: what makes my experiences as a First Nations person different from the experiences of other non-First Nation student mothers? Thus, autoethnography was used to explore my

journey11 _{and my experiences along the way to and during post-secondary, while further adding}

to my personal and cultural knowledge through a lens of decolonization and empowerment. Anderson (2006) explains that “the first and most obvious feature of autoethnography is that the researcher is a complete member of the social world under study” (p.379). As a First Nations mother of mixed ancestry and a student in university studying the experiences of First Nations mothers within a post-secondary institution, I was a prime subject for this method. When I began my post-secondary journey, I held very little knowledge of colonial history. It was during this time that I began what would become a continual and -quite possibly- a life long journey of discovery into my personal subconscious, in an effort to find closure and healing from events in my life I had long-since buried deep inside. The very first time I was asked to “situate myself” within my research, I remember sitting in class, reading my work through my tears. Writing it, I found, was easy. Reading it out-loud made it all come back to me. This was the most memorable moment in my post-secondary career where I realized how much I had suppressed over the years. After this, I spent months seeking healing; I attended workshops, I went to ceremonies, spoke with family, and sought counselling. Custer (2014) explains that “the process of autoethnography can uncover many different feelings within the writer. It can be joyful, sad, revealing, exciting, and occasionally painful” (p.1). Despite the array of emotions that came forward when conducting this research, I continued to dig deep, and I discovered that many of my family

11 _{Although I refer to the autoethnographic portion of the research as my journey and my lived-experiences, I would}

like to point out that my partner and my children have played and continue to play hugely important roles in my journey through university and in life.

members’ lived-experiences mirrored mine in many ways and could all be traced back to moments of colonial upset that impacted my maternal family12 _{in many traumatic ways.}