Seventh Generation: Voices of the Rezilient

Abstract

In this phenomenological study, we examined the meaning of resilience for seventh generation Pueblo people who took part in the historic Water Protector movement against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Using focus group data from eight Pueblo participants, four themes were developed: (a) Creating Interconnectivity, highlighting the significance of resilience in fostering connections with all living beings and things across time; (b) Cultivating Resilience, emphasizing the role of relationships, especially with women caregivers and role models, in nurturing resilience; (c) Being Resourceful to Overcome Oppressive Hurdles, involving awareness of historical trauma, proactive actions like protests, and patience for change; and (d) A Way of Healing, illustrating how resilience serves as a source of healing through engagement in spiritual practices of prayer, ceremony, love, forgiveness, and sovereignty. These findings may encourage counseling psychologists to reflect Indigenous epistemologies of resilience for genuine decolonization of the psychological literature.