Combining self-analysis, Indigenous ceremonial process, and storytelling via survivance, this study is about my life’s journey. Having the ability to navigate the world of western society with my Indigenous worldview and identity is a delicate balance. This ability to navigate two worlds is borne out of the female influences in my life, in particular on my matriarchal ancestral line. Using story as a means to locate myself, discover myself, and lay a path for my children is integral to this process. This work is about love, and the discovery of self and identity, honouring Indigenous women, honouring the Anishinaabe trickster Windigokaan, and sharing and recognizing Indigenous knowledge, strength, resiliency, and beauty through story. This research is an ever-evolving and organic discourse of academia and Indigenous worldview. It is a living entity in itself. Combining and finding balance between the two worlds is vital to understanding and dissecting the multi-layered stories that are shared throughout. Storytelling as method, with the influence of teaching, guiding, and telling stories for children is the vehicle used to demonstrate introspective leadership in education. This study took place in the Parkland and Interlake regions of the Treaty 2 Territory in Manitoba, Canada. Using an open-ended interview process, over the phone or via video call, this research was an analytical journey to find myself. The purpose of collecting stories as data was to be able to retell, rewrite, and restory a female influenced Indigenous history during a time and era where these stories have gone historically untold or forgotten. It is a preservation for the future generations in my family. Author-supplied keywords: indigenous, indigenous storytelling, story, survivance, indigenous educational leadership, educational leadership, trickster, trickster story, windigokaan, walking in two worlds
