MATRIARCHAL SOVEREIGNTY AND INDIGENOUS MOTHERING IN WILSON’S THE SEED KEEPER: A DECOLONIAL FEMINIST READING

Abstract

This study analyzes The Seed Keeper by Wilson (2021) through two mutually reinforcing theoretical frameworks of Indigenous mothering and decolonial feminism. The study investigates decolonial narrative of matriarchal sovereignty. The research predominantly focuses on Indigenous mothers’ communal role as cultural custodians. The research also investigates Indigenous mothers’ agency against colonial erasure through imposition exploitative Eurocentric and patriarchal systems. Despite receiving ecofeminist and limited Indigenous scholarly attention, examination of Indigenous mothers as cultural sovereigns remains underexplored. The study addresses this gap by exploring Wilson’s portrayal of Native American mothers as guardians of ancestral legacy. This research employs qualitative method for in-depth evaluation of novel through close textual analysis, to highlight centrality of Indigenous mothers in reclaiming Indigenous epistemologies. The findings of research spotlight indispensability of Indigenous mothering as alternative future of Indigenous communities against ineffective dominant Western worldviews. Innovative insights of this research hold potential to expand Indigenous scholarship through examination of Indigenous literary works, orienting matriarchal Indigenous perspectives. Besides its intellectual, social, cultural and contemporary significance, implications of this research also extend to development of culturally responsive directives for Indigenous mothers. The outcomes of research also highlight critical need of independent pedagogical systems to preserve indigeneity of Indigenous posterity.