Keeping my traditions alive: resilience strategies of indigenous women living and studying in Medellín

The objective of this research was to understand the meanings and practices of resilience constructed by indigenous women who live and study in Medellín. This research employed a qualitative methodology, which drew analytical tools from Grounded Theory and Photovoice. For the protection of participants, the ethical considerations of Wang and Redwood-Jones1 were taken into account. Accordingly, the research yielded a definition of resilience based in the intersection of several lenses: an individual versus community lens, the lens of Medellín and its history of transformation, an indigenous lens, and finally, a feminist lens. Among the results, it is notable that these women rescue and maintain their traditional practices and the roots of their culture while living in the city as a resilience strategy, through contact with nature; weave-making; body painting; connecting with fire; planting food; cleansing with smoke; and participating in group activities.