The Incarceration of Native American Women: Creating Pathways to Wellness and Recovery through Gentle Action Theory by Carma Corcoran

Author:Carma Corcoran [Corcoran, Carma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SOC021000 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Ethnic Studies / American / Native American Studies, SOC030000 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Penology, SOC028000 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies
Publisher: Nebraska

Healing Ceremonies—Chippewa Cree of Rocky Boy’s

On a visit home I had the honor of spending time with some of my Elders. While I cannot share all of the information that they shared with me, I do have their permission to share some of the knowledge passed on to me. First of all, in the Cree culture, I can only ask questions about ceremony with a woman Elder. It is inappropriate to discuss ways of women with men. Secondly, they must be approached in a good way. This means that someone from my family, in my case my sister-in-law and my nieces, interceded on my behalf, asking if they would be so kind as to spend some time with me and answer some questions for me. Thirdly, I must bring a gift. The gift can be sage or sweetgrass, or fabric, and must include tobacco.

Spending time with my Elders was a magnificent experience. The first part of the process was for me to introduce myself and tell them who my people are so that they can place me and my ancestors. Those who knew my grandparents and mother well spoke a few words about them. They had many questions about my life from the time I was taken away up until now. A couple of them remembered me as a young child and commented on the difficult childhood and living circumstances of my family and our family troubles.

My Elders shared with me that traditionally Cree women did not participate in the sweat lodge and that it is only in contemporary times that it has become a part of women’s healing. Some of them participate in the sweat lodge and some do not. When I discussed the grief and shame that I have encountered working with Native American women experiencing incarceration they shared that there is a grief ceremony that Cree women can go through. All that a woman needs to do is to approach one of her Elders and speak of her need. They felt that the women in prison would greatly benefit from the ceremony, which can be called a “Wiping of Tears” ceremony, as part of their healing practices. Most importantly they encouraged daily prayer to Creator, smudging, and spending time with Elders.

The need for healing and processing grief was discussed in my Native circle of association in Portland. A young woman in the group, Andrea Robideau (paternal affiliations Spirit Lake Nation–Sisseton/Wahpeton Bands of Dakota and White Earth Nation–Anishinaabe; maternal affiliations Mescalero Apache, Yaqui, Tsalagi, Cherokee from Oklahoma), whose mother was a highly respected Elder who passed away in 2016, humbly shared these wise words with us:

Prepare a traditional meal—gather relatives and tribal members together—invite tribal leaders and elders in the ways you were taught (give them a gift with a personal invite—let them know why you need their participation)—invite the people (Creator will make it possible for the people who need to be there to be present, whether it is a very small group at a kitchen table or a large community gathering at a traditional gathering place).

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