Open Collections

Field, Shannon

University of British Columbia

There are few universally agreed upon definitions of play. Furthermore, the way play is defined, understood, acted out, and valued, varies across cultures, yet the conceptualization of play within the context of Indigenous cultures has yet to be explored. This research sought to understand how urban Indigenous families conceptualized and experienced play. This included an exploration into what activities were included in play, and what factors influenced play for Indigenous families. This research used Métis methodologies: wahkootowin (kinship) and kiyokewin (visiting). These two concepts are interrelated in that they both speak to upholding and maintaining strong relationships through acts of relational accountability. These concepts also provided a theoretical perspective for understanding the connections between play, family, and wellbeing. Kiyokewin was practiced during five semi-structured interviews amongst a total of 12 people (7 adults and 5 children). The meetings provoked dialogue, which was further facilitated through the creation of art pieces and engaging in play. A thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted to reveal five themes: (1) Play activities vary widely, (2) Play engages wahkootowin, (3) Play is conceptualized as an experience, (4) Play engagement is affected by many factors, and (5) Play can be part of kiyokewin. Participants named a wide variety of activities they engaged in with family, individually, or through organized programs. In describing their experiences, they spoke to their personal conceptualizations of play, describing how it was experienced and the feelings it evoked. They also discussed the importance of family and community in play, and how play provides the opportunity to bring people together. Participants identified many factors that influenced play engagement including interests, people involved, health status, colonization, and logistics. This work also demonstrated that play is one way to strengthen wahkootowin, and contribute to wellbeing. This study offered unique insights into the perspectives of urban Indigenous peoples regarding play within their families. It was benefitted by using Métis approaches to research that allowed for story sharing and engaged family members of all ages. The results offer numerous opportunities for further study, as well as recommendations for play programmers.

Text

2023-08-30

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/85705

Kinesiology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/