Rematriating and Decolonizing Data: A Snapshot of Collective Healing Across Native Communities Through Philanthropic Giving

• In Event: Asserting Sovereignty and Self-Determination Through a Tribally Based Doctoral Cohort

Abstract

For time immemorial, Indigenous Womxn have always carried out important leadership roles as clan mothers, teachers, midwives, healers, and culture bearers. The “heart work” of today’s Indigenous Womxn includes weaving cultural ways of knowing with ancestral knowledge and even though this is “hard work”, it is often spiritually guided through upholding inherent responses to serve the community. Rematriating and decolonizing data acknowledges that Indigenous womxn play a critical role within Indigenous society and, ultimately, serve as the backbone of a family, community, and nation. Understanding the collective impact of Indigenous Womxn-led businesses, organizations, and initiatives aligns with the global movement to illuminate the economic mobility and advancement of Indigenous Peoples despite the ongoing marginalization through settler colonialism, forced Federal Indian Policy, and the continued suppression of Indigenous Womxn’s voices as Matriarchal leadership figures. This study investigates how healing is an essential component of ending intergenerational historical trauma by making space for cultural resurgence and revitalization. It will also provide a snapshot of the healing work led by Native Womxn that is funded by philanthropic dollars in the United States.

Author

• Joannie Romero, University of Washington - Tacoma
  Presenting Author