Exploring Drumming/Song and its Relationship to Healing in the Lives of Indigenous Women Living in the City of Winnipeg. by Margaret Ann (Tamara) Dicks A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance degree. Department of Indigenous Studies Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance Program The University of Winnipeg Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada December 2014 Copyright © 2014 Margaret Dicks 2 Abstract This is an exploratory study on drumming/song and its relationship to healing in the lives of Indigenous women living in the City of Winnipeg. The participants of this study included urban-based Indigenous women actively involved in drumming and song. An Indigenous research framework was employed using the drum as methodology in exploring and understanding Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The researcher used Indigenous searching methods (“talking circles” and the “Anishinaabe-Symbol Based Reflection” activity) to gather the women’s personal stories as they related to the topic of the study. The women identified the healing benefits of drumming/song from a holistic perspective, meaning emotional, mental, physical, and a central focus on the spiritual dimension. The outcome of the study demonstrates that Dewe-i-gan (drum) provides a holistic healing approach within the lives of the women based on Indigenous ways of seeing, understanding, and being in the world that extends beyond the mere act of drumming. 3 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I want to honour and say ékosáni to Creator, to God, to the One who has made this all possible; without her my life would be meaningless. I give honour and thanks to my parents who tried their best to give their children a better life than they had; for this, I am grateful. I say ékosáni to my spouse Brett, and daughter Amelia, who have been kind, patient, and understanding even when I was not. The ongoing love and support of my family has carried me forward on this journey. I want to honour the women who believed in the study and were willing to share their personal stories and knowledge in making the research come alive. Their generosity has made this study possible. I am grateful to my advisor, Dr. Gabriel Nemogá-Soto, who challenged, supported, and pushed me forward to complete the thesis when I doubted I could. Dr. Jerry Fontaine taught me about courage and how to step outside the strict parameters we sometimes find ourselves in. Dr. Carolyn Kenny, who has reignited and reaffirmed my love of the arts through the work she has done, and the guidance she has generously provided. I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Yvonne Pompana who generously gave of her time to review and edit my paper, and Jennifer Schweder for copy editing and formatting. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Department of Indigenous Studies and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Winnipeg for their generous financial support. 4 Dedication “My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back.” -Louis Riel, July 4, 1885, Manitoba Metis Federation I dedicate this completed work to all the women musicians, singers, drummers, dancers, artists; the creative ones who stretch and sustain us, who bring joy and beauty to a world in dire need of her sacred force. ékosáni Iskwéwak. 5 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. 3 DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. 5 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Locating the Researcher .................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Indigenous Worldview .................................................................................................... 12 Dewe-i-gan and Her Purpose ………………………………………………………….14 Who am I: Dewe-i-gan .................................................................................................... 16 Indigenous Stories Celebrating the Feminine ................................................................. 19 Post-European Contact .................................................................................................... 21 Government Attack on Ceremony and Music................................................................. 22 Indigenous Women and Drumming ................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER THREE: CLINICAL PERSPECTIVES AND GAPS Clinical Perspectives on the Relationship Between Drumming and Healing ................. 28 Gaps in the Literature ...................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER FOUR: FRAMEWORK Circle of Life Framework ............................................................................................... 34 Defining an Indigenous Approach: Foundational and Ethical Considerations ............... 36 Indigenous Methods: Recruitment Process ..................................................................... 38 Talking Circles ................................................................................................................ 39 Anishinaabe Symbol-Based Reflection .......................................................................... 41 Journal ............................................................................................................................. 42 6 CHAPTER FIVE: THE STORIES Gathering the Stories ....................................................................................................... 43 Ann .................................................................................................................................. 44 Joan ................................................................................................................................. 53 Susan ............................................................................................................................... 59 Mary ................................................................................................................................ 64 Betty ................................................................................................................................ 67 CHAPTER SIX: MEANING MAKING Building Understanding Through My Conversation With Dewe-i-gan ......................... 70 My Conversation With Dewe-i-gan ................................................................................ 72 CHAPTER SEVEN: TRANSFORMATION AND LEARNING Transformation of Researcher ......................................................................................... 87 Future Considerations ..................................................................................................... 95 Bringing it all Together Into the Center .......................................................................... 96 Conclusions and Final Thoughts ..................................................................................... 99 APPENDICES Appendix A: Medicine Wheel Research Framework ................................................... 103 Appendix B: Information Sheet .................................................................................... 104 Appendix C: Consent Form .......................................................................................... 107 Appendix D: Conversation Guide ................................................................................. 109 Appendix E: Visual: Conversation with Dewe-i-gan ................................................... 110 Appendix F: Supervisory Committee…………………………………………………111 References .................................................................................................................... 112 7 Figures Figure 1: Medicine Wheel……………………………………………….34 Figure 2: Ann’s Anishinaabe Symbol: Turtle……………………...…….52 Figure 3: Ann’s Anishinaabe Symbol: Traditional Skirt…………...……53 8 Chapter One: Introduction Locating the Researcher Tanísi, Margaret Tamara Dicks nitisinihkáson (Hello my name is Margaret Tamara Dicks). It is important that I begin by locating myself as part of this research project so the reader may have some understanding of who I am and why this study is important to me. Absolon (2010) uses the medicine wheel framework to discuss “Indigenous Wholistic [sic] Theory.” The “Eastern Door” is where all things start, and is the place I start this research process by sharing who I am and who I am not (Absolon, 2010). The justification for my research project is both personal and academic. Understanding my history as an Indigenous person has been a long journey of discovery and rediscovery of identity, of place, of location. Much of my conscious understanding as an Indigenous person has culminated in my adult life. I was born in Churchill, Manitoba to an Oji-Cree/Cree Métis woman from the Misipawistik Cree Nation (formerly Grand Rapids First Nation),