Cindy McDougall, enrolled member and lifelong resident of the White Earth Nation in northwestern Minnesota, has been supporting the Healing Pathways Project (Anishinaabe Giigewin Miikana) for 23 years and counting. She began recruiting and interviewing youth and their caregivers in 2002 and “I enjoyed it so much, I’m still doing this work now that those youth are grown and have children of their own. Over many years we’ve built bonds of trust and friendship that strengthen our community.”
As an interviewer, Cindy has engaged the same group of participants in ‘waves’ of data collection every few years to track their well-being over time. Her questions touch on both the risks and protective factors related to sensitive topics such as mental health and substance use, making it a highly skilled task. “Interviewers must maintain confidentiality, remain neutural, and not express our own feelings, all of which is a practice. We come from the same community, which I believe is the key to Healing Pathways’ success over time – the participants know that we’re trustworthy and nonjudgmental, and that we have their best interest at heart.”
The longitudinal findings have provided a rich and exclusive evidence base to inform the eight participating Anishinaabe Tribes spanning Wisconsin, Minnesota as well as First Nations in the Canadian province of Ontario, who have full ownership over the data. Most notably, Cindy highlights, “It gives Council members the language and information to identify matters affecting the Tribe as a whole; it allows them to recognize trends and place concerns at the forefront of their agendas. This data shows how cultural activities – like language preservation – strengthen Tribal health and resilience. It’s used in everything from grant writing to budgeting to increase investments in cultural programs and public health interventions.”
Not only is the data instrumental for participating Tribes and First Nations, but participating individuals benefit from this periodic deep reflection on the influences in their lives, their communities as well as their parenting. Cindy shared, “They tell me that we ask questions that nobody else asks – the interview is a space for them to look at their life and the decisions we make which builds greater self-awareness and perspective. I hear a lot about the cultural practices that have helped them persevere and what they want to pass on to the next generation.”
Wave 12th of the Healing Pathways study, currently underway, includes the first-born child of the original participants. While still centered on their parents (former youth), it offers fresh insights into how youth are engaging with cultural activities, mental and behavioral health, and the impact of digital technology. Cindy reflected, “This study helps our communities preserve and share our heritage with today’s kids. Parents support to pass on traditions and the Anishinaabeg languages that enrich us, whether or not they were raised with it.”
Our Anishinaabe Giigewin Miikana Team:
Jake Becker, Dick Bird, David Bruyere, Laura Bruyere, Trisha Bruyere, Betty Derendorf*, Laureen Hill, Ernie Jones*, Lucille Jones*, Annabelle Jourdain, Shailyn Loyie, Allan Morrisseau*, Priscilla Simard, GayeAnn Allen, Winona Carufel, Phillip Chapman Sr., Jory Corbesia, Betty Jo Graveen*, Tina Handeland, Clinton Isham, Bagwajikwe Madosh, Victoria Soulier, Frances Whitfield, Sonja Budde, Jim Bedeau*, Bill Butcher Jr., Marilyn Bowstring, Don Charwood, Gary Charwood, Margaret Charwood, Delores Fairbanks, Devin Fineday, Bernadette Gotchie, Christina Howard, Carol Jenkins, Gloria Mellado*, Nicole Wadena, Vivian Washington, Ashley Brun, Geraldine Brun, Caitlin Defoe, Kathy Dudley, June Holstein, FaLeisha Jourdain, Penny King, Valerie King, Bill May*, Frances Miller, Brenna Pemberton, Linda Perkins, Charity Prentice-Pemberton, Christie Prentice, Patricia Prentice*, Ed Strong, Barbara Thomas, Murphy Thomas*, Bonnie Badboy, Cassie Bellanger, Natalie Bergstrom, Celeste Cloud, Elizabeth Kent, Chantel King, Pat Moran, Cindy McDougall, Whitney Sazama, Sue Trnka, Stephanie Williams, Glenn Cameron, Jackie Cameron, Gerilyn H. Fisher, Gabriel Henry, Howard Kabestra, Dallas Medicine, Virginia Pateman, Irene Scott, Melissa Walls, Kelley Sittner, Dane Hautala, Rachel Steinberg, Angie Forsberg
*In memoriam