Cultural continuity and a sense of belonging are of central importance to the health and wellness of Indigenous youth. Identity development for these young people requires navigation through a plethora of multi-mediated and global... more
Cultural continuity and a sense of belonging are of central importance to the health and wellness of Indigenous youth. Identity development for these young people requires navigation through a plethora of multi-mediated and global influences including the structures and ideologies of colonization that devalue and minimize Indigenous ways of knowing and living. Consequently, it is valuable to explore how youth are making their way through this myriad of influences and obstacles. This photovoice project investigated how a group of high school students in a remote Canadian First Nations community would represent positive elements of their day-today lives. What resulted were a series of photo essays, or storyscapes, that expressed the value that youth placed on family, friends, traditional activities, sports, and the deep connection to land, lake, and sky. Youth shared parts of their identity-forming life worlds through their storyscapes. Their embodied knowledge of place, self, and spirit were fed by deeper feelings of belonging and interacting with their social, physical, and spiritual environments. ARTICLE HISTORY
