Indigenous Peoples in Canada continue to hold many non-dominant roles within sectors of society, yet we persist in their efforts to preserve, develop, and transmit our identity, cultural patterns, and social institutions to future generations (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2004). Indigenous Peoples in Canada share a long history of colonialism brought about by imperial forces that aimed to assimilate us into the dominant culture. This project was designed to explore and better understand our lived-experiences as First Nations student-mothers during the pursuit of university-level education at Laurentian University while caring for our children. I argue that Canada’s oppressive history of colonialism and the resulting intergenerational trauma have had specific implications on the post-secondary experiences of the First Nations mothers who participated in this research.
In this research project, I let the pieces of our stories loose into the world in the hopes that I did each storyteller’s voice justice while creating a new story that can be shared with future generations. A story that embodies the integrity, resilience and courage each of the women showcased when beginning their post-secondary education journeys as First Nations mothers. This paper aimed to deepen your understanding of the history of Indigenous Peoples in a way that respected and honoured the voices of the First Nations student-mothers who participated in this research. The impact of the residential school experience has resulted in intergenerational trauma which has been linked to lower levels of educational achievement resulting in lower income and housing rates for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The participants within this research discussed making the choice to rise above this in order to secure employment that would provide
for themselves and their families. With First Nations women and girls having some of the highest fertility and birth rates among other Canadian groups (Guimond & Robitaille, 2008), I suggest that universities and other post-secondary institutions should consider avenues that could engage and accommodate young, First Nations mothers who already have the disadvantage of being marginalized based on their culture and gender.
Thomas King (2003) writes that “stories can control our lives, for there is a part of me that has never been able to move past these stories, a part of me that will be chained to these stories as long as I live” (p.9). I interpret this statement in that our future is influenced by our past and holding onto stories from our past can change the trajectories of our lives. I truly hope that I honoured the pieces of the stories that I presented here. My central goal was to give each of them the respect and dignity that they deserved “for once a story is told, it cannot be called back. Once told, it is loose in the world” (King, 2003, p.10). Through storytelling, the stories and narratives were collected and compiled to reveal areas of particular interest to me that impacted the educational trajectories of the First Nations student-mothers (and myself) who participated in this research throughout our post-secondary educational journeys.
In my experience, being a parent is exhausting at the best of times. The additional responsibilities that come with being a mother and a student are difficult, regardless of ethnicity or culture. Together we have moved through the literature review which, among other areas of interest, explored: (1) the history on the ongoing inequality and enfranchisement found within the Indian Act; (2) an overview on the history of Indigenous education; (3) the residential school system and the resulting intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada; (4) the intersection of Indigenous womanhood and the resulting gender-based violence and
discrimination endured by Indigenous women in Canada today; (5) the positive outcomes of resilience and healing; (6) the blending of identities as First Nations mothers and students, and finally; (7) the impact of internalized oppression and associated feelings of inadequacy discussed in the imposter phenomenon.
This work aimed to advance the available literature surrounding First Nations student- mothers in an effort to change the conversation so that one day the education gap may be closed, and research such as this will no longer be needed. Perhaps, with a clearer understanding of how First Nations student-mothers experience university, further research can be explored on this subject which could contribute to the continued efforts to decolonize universities in Canada. This work was conducted through mindful and meaningful approaches that took into consideration the experiences of First Nations student-mothers. Areas that were of particular interest to me and were uncovered during the analysis, included: 1) how the participants made the choice to pursue post-secondary education, including the choice that some of the mothers made to leave their home communities and what motivated that decision, 2) how we experience self-doubt as First Nations student-mothers, and 3) how we merge our identities as Indigenous, mothers, and students including how the participants and I discussed utilizing Indigenous traditions and cultures within our self-care routines.
Future research should consider whether First Nations women on a larger scale experience the imposter phenomenon and what impact internalized oppression has had as a result of colonialism and the resulting intergenerational trauma. Another area of particular interest surrounds the notions of identity. Universities and other post-secondary institutions should take into consideration the multiple identity roles that First Nations mothers are faced
with when becoming university students. Future research on the topic of mothers within university should further explore the role of culture and motherhood for First Nations women attending post-secondary. First Nations mothers within university should continue to find and share their voices while continuing to encourage others to take that first step to pursue post- secondary in order to push back against the colonial institutions, structures, and practices that we have all grown so accustomed to.