The importance of community support for women in a Gulf Coast Indigenous tribe
International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare
ISSN: 2056-4902
Article publication date: 5 October 2022
Issue publication date: 28 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Community support is an integral aspect of health and well-being for Indigenous peoples. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the valuable role of community support for Indigenous women specifically, who experience reproductive health disparities at alarming rates. This study helps fill an important gap in Indigenous scholarship by centering the resilience of women and Indigenous tribes and by using a framework that is consistent with Indigenous holistic views of health.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this paper was collected as part of a larger study exploring the reproductive health experiences of a state-recognized Gulf Coast tribe. A total of 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who identify as women and as members of this tribe using qualitative descriptive methodology. This method is recommended for research with Indigenous communities. A community advisory board with representatives from this tribe provided feedback throughout the project.
Findings
Themes expressed by participants included Community Closeness and Support; Community Support in Raising Children; Informal Adoption Common; and Community Values of Mutual Aid and Self-Sufficiency. The findings support current literature noting the value of generational and communal ties for Indigenous peoples. Implications of this research include the need to value and support community networks in programs serving tribes, in addition to meaningfully including Indigenous communities in developing interventions.
Originality/value
This paper centers Indigenous women’s resilience, approaches the health and well-being of Indigenous tribes holistically and helps to fill an important gap in literature describing informal adoption (outside the legal system) in state-recognized Indigenous communities.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Tulane School of Liberal Arts and the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South at Tulane University. The authors thank members of this tribe for their time and dedication to this project.
Citation
Carlson, T.A. and Liddell, J.L. (2023), "The importance of community support for women in a Gulf Coast Indigenous tribe", International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 162-175. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-06-2022-0060
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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