An Indigenist Theory of Health Advocacy

A circle of intergenerational and intertribal women worked on a unique community-based participatory research study, using art-based and Indigenous research methods in grounded theory to identify an Indigenist theory of health advocacy. The Bundle of Seven Strands illuminates ways of knowing, being, and doing that ground and inform a deeper understanding of Native American health advocacy. This study can bridge existing knowledge of Indigenous theories with a pragmatic theoretical framework that can be applied and utilized in situations that call for health advocacy in relation to Indigenous Peoples, places, and perspectives. Moreover, this theory can help health program developers and evaluators be explicit about their assumptions about how health advocacy can contribute to culturally appropriate and engaged wellness activities in urban Indigenous communities.