My Grandma Said, "Bring Her to Me"

Abstract

This article describes the health-care access experiences of Indigenous members of a Gulf Coast, non-federally recognized tribe. Research exploring the experiences of non-federally recognized tribes is needed, as these tribes lack resources available to federally recognized tribes. Using a qualitative description research approach and through partnership with a community advisory board, thirty-one semi-structured life-course interviews were conducted with women tribal members. A qualitative descriptive analytic approach revealed the following key themes: First Health-Care Experiences; Going to Family Members for Health Care; Going to Indigenous Healers for Health Care and; Generational Changes in the Transmission of Traditional Knowledge. Our findings highlight the role that family members and Indigenous healers play in addressing health-care gaps and needs for tribal members. In addition, results suggest that Indigenous healers are respected, valued members of the community, and there is concern that healing knowledge is not being passed down to future generations. This research addresses a gap in the need for holistic understandings of Indigenous women’s reproductive and sexual health care, which is required for the development of interventions which not only address social justice issues and weaknesses in the health-care system, but that also promote the existing strengths and resources in Indigenous communities.