Title: A Mohawk’s Journey to Understand Lateral Violence
Supervisor: Dr. Darren Warburton
Committee members: Dr. Lynn Lavallée, Dr. Rosalin Miles, Dr. Moss Norman
Defence Chair: Dr Liv Yoon
Abstract: Lateral violence, a prevalent issue within Indigenous communities, encompasses a complex and harmful set of behaviours that individuals and groups perpetuate amongst themselves and within the collective as a result of systemic oppression and historical trauma. This phenomenon remains poorly understood and was only recently named. Its intergenerational impacts are devastating at both individual and community levels, deeply harming the collective psyche. To help find solutions and strategies to dismantle this harm, I dedicated my thesis to its study as an effort to deepen our understanding of its origins, impacts, and possible solutions. Grounded in personal, familial, and community stories, this mixed-methods study combined quantitative surveys, narrative inquiry, and sharing circles rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing. Together, these methods revealed how lateral violence is perpetuated, internalized, and normalized within communities, and how it erodes cultural identity, wellness, and belonging. Participants shared powerful stories of how colonial legacies, such as blood quantum, language loss, and internalized bias, continue to divide families and communities. My hope is that this work serves as a starting point for deeper understanding and meaningful action, rooted in community truths and personal testimony. This thesis is my personal effort to bring a damaging phenomenon out of the shadows and into collective understanding, offering insights and culturally grounded strategies for healing, resilience, wholistic wellness, and the revitalization of Indigenous identity and community cohesion. The importance of this research extends beyond personal reflection, offering both academic and community relevance.