Foreword: First Peoples Child & Family Review, Volume 14, Number 1, 2019
Abstract
The first issue of the First Peoples Child & Family Review was published 15 years ago, in 2004. From then on, this journal has provided a respected platform to share knowledge generated by Indigenous researchers, graduate students, community members, youth, and non-Indigenous allies and supporters. It has been a great privilege to promote the outstanding research, critical analysis, stories, standpoints, and educational contributions that have appeared in our journal over the years. In celebration, we have chosen to publish this special issue which features a reprint of 15 of our most popular contributions. All of our published contributions – which, at the time of this writing, amounted to just over 300 – have inspired the discussion about and, in many cases, directly influenced innovation within child, family, and community-based matters for Indigenous peoples in Canada and abroad. Therefore, it was not easy to decide upon which articles to feature in this issue. Ultimately, we selected 15 contributions based on the total full-article downloads, which happens to pleasantly reflect the life-span of the journal. Readers will find that the wisdom shared in this issue is just as relevant today as it was when the contents were first published – although often in new and surprising ways.
Four general themes emerged during the editing process. This includes the sharing of Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous ways of being in the world; advice for conducting respectful research with and for Indigenous peoples and communities; challenging the status-quo in child welfare, social work, and family services; and documenting the effects of colonization and the power and strength of Indigenous peoples and communities. I present these themes more as a matter of utility than as a true reflection of reality. The truth is that all things are interconnected and, therefore, the articles featured in this issue can be interpreted as a representation of each of these themes and, I am sure, quite a bit beyond them as well. Each time we travel around the circle, we bring new experiences and knowledge – in a sense, we are in a constant state of renewal – and new patterns emerge. As you read this celebratory issue of the First Peoples Child & Family Review and re-visit some of our most popular articles, I hope you will enjoy the process of discovering new wisdom.
