A new study published in the Journal of Child Development looked at Indigenous perspectives on the child–caregiver bond from a Northwest tribal community.
“Our study is about uplifting the experiences, perspectives and knowledges regarding parenting young children that are held by members of a Northwest tribal community,” Sara F. Waters told us. “In particular, we wanted to center Indigenous knowledge of and approaches to the child-caregiver bond.”
The researchers’ work was informed by attachment theory as the dominant approach within Western science to understanding the child-caregiver bond, though they sought to move beyond the limiting features of this theory to inform an Indigenized representation of the child-caregiver attachment bond. To that end, they drew on the Indigenous Connectedness Framework (Ullrich, 2019), which identifies five connectedness mechanisms that Indigenous children need to thrive.
“The current study was born out of an ongoing community-based participatory research project that brought together leadership of a Northwest tribal community with Indigenous clinicians, public health, child development, and prevention science researchers to meet the support needs of tribal community families by developing a culturally grounded parenting program by and for the community,” Waters told us. “As we grew into this work, we recognized the importance of centering Indigenous perspectives on parenting, child development, and the child-caregiver bond in the development of the program.”
There were six themes that emerged from the experiences and perspectives shared. These included community caregiving, family value systems, bonding, traditional teachings, and historical trauma. Each of these themes included subthemes that spoke to the many ways that Indigenous childhood caregiving extends beyond a single child-caregiver bond or an immediate family unit.
“While the specific stories and learnings gifted to the research team were unique, the themes we identified resonated in many respects with the five mechanisms identified by the Indigenous Connectedness Framework,” Waters told us. “The importance of collective caregiving, cultural practices, and relationships with ancestors and more-than-human kin for Indigenous parenting and child wellbeing were so powerfully conveyed. The need to move beyond our focus on the dyadic child-caregiver relationship was very clear.”
The researchers believe this work helps advance an expansion in how those within the field of child development conceptualize the child-caregiver attachment bond. A greater understanding of and appreciation for the vitality and necessity of relationships with extended kin, community members, and land for Indigenous children’s wellbeing could help shift harmful practices in the child welfare system that have separated Indigenous children from their communities and culture for generations.
« A more fully Indigenized understanding of the child-caregiver bond could strengthen parenting and family support programs that serve Indigenous communities. A deeper recognition of the power of connection and relationships in many forms will support the healthy development of all children, » Waters told us. « We offer our immense gratitude to the participant relatives who gifted us with their time, experiences, and stories. »