(Submitted photo/University of Alberta Press)

By Derek Craddock

INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GANGS

LISTEN: P.A. author portrays experiences of Indigenous women and gangs in new book

Oct 28, 2021 | 4:00 PM

A new book is bringing to light the struggles and perils of Indigenous women involved in street gangs.

The book titled, “Indigenous Women and Street Gangs,” was recently published by the University of Alberta Press and complied by Prince Albert’s Robert Henry.

Henry, a Métis man and Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, collaborated with six Indigenous women previously involved in street gangs or street lifestyles for the book.

The book provides a liberating view into the women’s lifestyles, using a technique called photovoice, where stories are accompanied by photos that show the process of survival, resistance, resurgence, and growth in their lives.

“They wanted people to learn from their experiences, to understand where other women may be coming from,” Henry said. “It’s to inform the broader public about the different life experiences and issues they had to face while growing up.”

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“They wanted individuals to begin to understand and see them as people, not as files or gang members but as individuals who have had to go through some more difficult things than others.”

Henry had released a similar book in 2013, “Brighter Days Ahead”, detailing the lives of Indigenous men involved in street gangs and was asked to do another piece with women’s stories.

“That’s where this research stems from,” Henry said. “It stems from them wanting to have an opportunity to talk about their stories and to move it forward.”

The book has already been released and Henry said the response has been great so far.

“The response that I’ve gotten from individuals who have read it has been positive,” Henry said. “They find the narratives of the women extremely powerful and talking truth to what their experiences were.”

“The whole point was to try and provide a space for the women’s voices to be told from their own perspectives.”

The book is available for purchase through The University of Alberta Press and online retailers like Indigo and Amazon.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @PA_Craddock