A decolonial love story : matriarchs living In kinship with mother earth

Abstract

This research is both partial autoethnography and ethnography. It is the telling of a decolonial love story intended to challenge the more dominant, patriarchal narrative through storytelling. Wisdom shared from matriarchs in leadership roles in their families or communities was gathered using open-ended interviews intended to add a greater presence of matriarchal insights within environmental education. Sharing a variety of stories in this way, celebrates both convergences and divergences on the path of life from those whose voices are not necessarily heard in the mainstream literature. These interviews were carefully braided by the researcher into a fourth story, while staying true to the women’s voices who found that matriarchal stories can provide deep nourishment with implications for a regenerative, rematriated relationship with Mother Earth. Researching the womens’ lived experiences with land through deep listening, ceremony, and relationships provided the guidance to share a love letter for the researcher’s young daughter, found at the end of this thesis.

Keywords: Autoethnography, ethnography, women, storytelling, story listening, matriarch, ceremony, decolonial love, environmental education