New Research Reaffirms Aboriginal Women's Role As Leaders

Aboriginal women are more than mothers to their families—they are also the intergenerational leaders that ground families in their traditions while preparing them to face their future. That’s what UVic social work faculty member and Indigenous governance doctoral candidate Robina Thomas (Qwul’sih’yah’maht) learned while conducting research for her dissertation “Protecting the Sacred Cycle: Xwulmuxw Slhunlheni [Indigenous Women] and Leadership.”
        “Aboriginal women traditionally carried the rights to names, songs and dances and were very, very revered for their roles as givers of life but this significant role was systematically displaced through legislation and child welfare practices,” says Thomas. “I wanted to examine the unrecognized leadership that Aboriginal women still exhibit in their lives.”
        Besides an extensive review of literature examining the role of Indigenous women, Thomas also interviewed 13 women from various Hul’qumi’num communities on Vancouver Island ranging in age from 19 to 86. Some had displayed leadership in elected positions while others demonstrated it by attending university to set an example for younger relatives, or by raising their grandchildren. “But all were committed to passing on their traditions to future generations,” adds Thomas. “What emerged was the ‘sacred cycle’ where the past, present and future are connected.”
        Thomas is the first Coast Salish woman to earn a PhD through UVic’s Indigenous Governance Program. “Her dissertation is well-written and researched and is a significant and powerful contribution to the field of Indigenous women and leadership,” says the program’s acting director Jeff Corntassel, who was also Thomas’ dissertation supervisor.

—30—