Author Description

This quote from Margaret Lavalle, an Ojibway women and a participant in a Status of Women Policy Research project, represents a very old Indigenous principle (Kenny 2002). It positions women in the centre of change processes concerned not only with the lives of Aboriginal women, but the lives of the entire community. It implies that Aboriginal women must bring policy into focus through their nature as women. The women are the moral guardians of the society and the ones to lead initiatives for positive social change. This interpretation of the role of women in society re-positions the concept of "gender-based" policy and expands the realm of responsibility and action for Aboriginal women."--Introduction.