Nishnawbekwe: A century of change

The subjects of this research are the Anicinabe (mixed Ojibwe-Odawa-Potawatomi) of southern Ontario in Canada. Life history data from three generations are presented here, to document the impact of historical change at the national and international levels on the lives of Canadian Native Indian women. The data show how the historical context has not only set limits to the lives of individual women, but has also defined the nature of interactions between Indians and other Canadians. The focus of the thesis is on contextuality and the reinvention of culture in response to changing historical circumstances. As well, the dialectical process of collaboration in life history research, and the negotiation of the potentially conflicting roles of researcher and friend are discussed. Multiple informants from each of the three generations have been used, in order to demonstrate the range of variability within a given cultural framework at various points in time. Life histories from four Anicinabe women born between the two world wars are presented as the core of the dissertation. These lives are compared with those of the two previous generations in order to trace changes in family roles, religion, education, and the political arena. The data show women acting as important agents of change at the local and national levels