University of Alberta MY GRANDMOTHER'S MOCCASINS: INDIGENOUS WOMEN, WAYS OF KNOWING AND INDIGENOUS AESTHETIC OF BEAD WORK by Lois Elizabeth Edge A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Indigenous Peoples Education Educational Policy Studies ©Lois Elizabeth Edge Spring 2011 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada love, joy, peace and light Dedicated to Christopher Edge, Sylvia Marie Fox and Gracie Marie Fox ABSTRACT An Indigenous researcher from northern Canada illuminates a strategy of decolonization and social well-being of Indigenous peoples as counter-narrative to that of Indigenous and non-Indigenous historical, cultural and social relations. The application of a reflective social analytic autoethnographic approach disrupts 1) a dislocation of Indigenous women's ways of knowing in the enactment of traditional cultural activities such as quillwork, hair tufting, embroidery and beadwork, and 2) the severing of relationships to Indigenous art forms when Indigenous peoples' ontologies are dominated by others. A unique creative research approach is applied in the introduction of a fotonovella with three visual stories each of which is integral in reciprocal relationship to each other, and to the study as a whole; the parts altogether form a conceptual metaphor of beadwork and writing. The strategy of a fragmented narrative prompts the adoption of a critical consciousness as multiple meanings are located within the work as a whole and serving as repository of knowledge(s) to be accessed and acted upon to enhance our understanding of the lived potential of Indigenous philosophy to inform and enhance daily life. The reclamation of Indigenous women's ancestral knowledge and ancient art forms enacts the embodiment of Indigenous women's philosophy, pedagogy and ontology as signifying an Indigenous aesthetic of beadwork. Analysis and reflection upon Indigenous ways of knowing as resides in museum collections around the globe encourages the repatriation of Indigenous knowledge towards cultural regeneration and survival of Indigenous peoples. Learning from Indigenous art forms as crafted by Indigenous peoples reveals a complex context wherein layers of meaning unfold as significant to Indigenous identity, lifelong learning and wellness of Indigenous people. This study encourages the enrichment of Indigenous education and Indigenous peoples' lives in contemporary circumstance. The research draws our attention to the many contributions of Athapaskan women in northern Canada and Indigenous women elsewhere in North America whose legacy is a rich endowment of Indigenous art forms from which current and future generations may continue to reclaim and learn Indigenous ways of being. PREFACE Fotonovella: My Grandmother's Moccasins As a fotonovella, this work applies a unique creative research approach based upon a series of three digital story videos developed and used during this study: My Grandmother's Moccasins: Indigenous Women, Ways of Knowing and Indigenous Aesthetic of Beadwork. Each of the three stories, Threading the Needle, Coming Home and Artists Unknown, is integral in the reciprocal relationship to each other, and to the study as a whole; the parts altogether form a conceptual metaphor of beadwork and writing. An Indigenous research methodology illuminates a strategy of decolonization in support of the social well-being of Indigenous peoples as counter-narrative to that of Indigenous and non-Indigenous historical, cultural and social relations. The application of a reflective social analytic autoethnographic approach disrupts 1) a dislocation of Indigenous women's ways of knowing in the enactment of traditional cultural activities and 2) the severing of relationships to Indigenous art forms when Indigenous peoples' ontologies are dominated by others. This study is intended to enrich Indigenous education and Indigenous peoples' lives in contemporary circumstance. Lois Edge, University of Alberta Email: [email protected] April 2011 Photograph: Gwieh'irt pWrap-Around] Moccasins J1943) Copyr.^V. Pitt Rivera Museum, 2008 Accession No. 1343.2.1 ,1 3 7rft&%cft/7Q Z*/j& J/&&J/& *?«/ Qt-i&xf/wcrfJtaJ- A^f.i iff// 9 />&p*r S/fa fjrf t~iao? 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