Zhiitaa-ook waa-ni onj-kiijig: re-activating Anishinaabe gikendaasowin (knowledge) for caregiving at the end of life

Abstract

Indigenous peoples have long-standing cultural knowledge of caring for people who are preparing to journey to the spirit world. Settler-colonialism, however, disrupted that continuous intergenerational knowledge transfer by subjugating Indigenous communities to western healthcare systems and invalidating Indigenous caregiving and knowledge practices that have been effective for millennia. To improve more equitable and positive outcomes for Indigenous peoples' health, Indigenous peoples must lead the way forward in decolonizing caregiving practices and re-claiming their Indigenous Knowledges (IK) for caring for people at the end of life. This decolonial and resurgent Indigenous re-search addresses how Anishinaabe gikendaasowin (knowledge) and caregiving practices can be re-activated and re-mobilized when caring for community members preparing to journey to the spirit world. With six Anishinaabe Elders and Knowledge Carriers from different communities, we engaged in storytelling and circle sessions to re-ignite and re-vitalize Anishinaabe gikendaasowin as resurging practices in communities. Indigenous wholistic theory guided the re-search through an Anishinaabe-centred re-search paradigm situated in the principles of mino-bimaadiziwin (living a good life) and adherence to both community (OCAP) and university (REB) ethical protocols. The re-search findings underscore the transformative potential of re-activating Indigenous Knowledges practices. This re-activation can empower Anishinaabe caregivers to re- member and re-claim ways of assisting community members preparing to journey to the spirit world. By challenging settler-colonial systems of healthcare, these approaches can reduce the ongoing cultural and physical harms against Indigenous peoples. This re-search also provides a culturally- and territorially specific account of Anishinaabe gikendaasowin and a community- relevant framework for pursuing equitable and positive outcomes for Indigenous peoples as they prepare to journey back to the spirit world. It amplifies the lived experiences and end-of-life practices of Anishinaabe caregivers, articulating them in ways that can benefit more Indigenous communities who aspire to re-vitalize, resurge, and apply this IK re-search to their own community needs and contexts.