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Sustainable Mixteco/Indígena Research Methodology: Toward Equal-Status Stakeholder and Indigenous Collaboration

Dr. L. M. R. J. Santamaría, A. Diego, L. Manríquez, A. Salazár, C. Lózano, L. León Salazár, & S. García Aguílar

Note: This Presentation is best viewed with Narration enabled - see button below left

Made possible through the California Mental Health Services Act and Ventura County Behavioral Health

Background & Rationale

Research goals were identified jointly with Indigenous migrant community members and State/ County Funder/ Stakeholders.

Inquiry intentions:

Evaluate current Tu’un Savi (Mixteco) Indigenous healing practices.
Learn how to implement the practices appropriately.
Empirically test the effectiveness of the practices and whether the practices proved to be effective.
Create hybrid cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) based practices from the Indigenous healing modalities learned.
Empirically test these hybrid healing treatments; and, as a result, create resources to implement County and possibly State wide.

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Equal-Status Stakeholders

Funding for the 4 year-long Mixed Methods Qualitative/ Quantitative Research initiative was through an MHSA (State) Innovations Grant administered through VCBH (County) and carried out by Healing the Soul via MICOP.

MICOP co-wrote and co-developed the Innovations grant with VCBH specialists.

The research was implemented by the Indigenous led MICOP team (Healing the Soul) guided by a community-based Advisory Council.

Findings serve to benefit the Indigenous community as well as State and County funding partners.

Dissemination (see Video Gallery for exemplars) is designed for community benefit and consumption, as well as funding partner constituents.

Research findings, publiction rights, outputs, etc., ultimately belong to the Indigenous community.

Project personnel include a Director/ Principal Investigator (D/PI), a Tu’un Savi (Mixtec) majority advisory council consisting of eight community members including two from the funding organizations, four Tu’un Savi health promoters (promotoras), and two research assistants who assisted with coordination of the project as needed. The promotoras and research assistants worked alongside the D/PI to support research, outreach, including the learning and practice of traditional Indigenous complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the course of the four-year project. A cadre of four Tu’un Savi community healers who were Elders joined the team in the latter part of the study.

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Tu’un Savi Indigenous Mixteco Migrant Epistemology (IMME)

This way of conducting research emerged following the team's:

Completion of an accelerated trilingual MA, PhD Level Research Methods Course.
The Research Leaders' unlearning process to adapt to Mixtec 'ways of knowing'.
A shift from Focus Group Interviews to Authentic Conversations (N=21).
A shift from Surveys to Home Visits (N=150).
A shift from the notion of reporters merely reporting Results, to operationalizing applied Healing Modalities (N=280).
The development and understanding of an Indigenous Mixtec Indigenous Epistemology (IMME), rather than retrofitting Mixtec 'ways of knowing' into other Indigenous theoretical frames.

Research participants represented Mixtec and other Indigenous migrant groups from Oaxaca, Mexico.

70% of participants were Mixteco/ Indígena. 30% of the participants report they are of Mexican Indigenous descent and when the Pueblo is unknown they state their region of origen.

IMME Theoretical Framework Elements:

Knowledge is firmly rooted through geographically located Oaxacan culture and language regardless of when or how that knowledge came to the U.S.
The knowledge is anchored by a communal ancient and sacred ancestral lineage, originating in Oaxaca.
Knowing this information can be expressed by and individual or a group and can be identified by resourcefulness (creative) and resilience (enduring).
The intelligence is signaled by aspirational ability to survive by courageous adaptation as necessary.
The knowledge is intact and unchanged wherein language and culture are markers of spiritual quality of knowledge and ways of knowing.

The research team applied IMME throughout the research process: Design, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Reporting, and Dissemination.

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Inquiry Findings

Final Implementation Phase Results

- An almost unprecedented 99% of the 280 Mixteco/Indígena community members who received treatment report overwhelmingly favorable results from the treatments prescribed.

- Pre-and Post-test results for the category of stress indicate a 20% reduction in nearly every symptom associated with stress. The largest reductions include 35% reduction in physical aches and pains, 29% reduction in becoming emotionally agitated, and 26% reduction of physical low energy. The smallest variation was in the use of drugs and alcohol with a 5% increase, interpreted as participant misreporting of the increased use of medicinal teas as opposed to actual increase of drug and alcohol use between the Pre-and Post-tests.

- Pre-and Post-test results for the category of anxiety indicate a 15% reduction in most every symptom associated with anxiety. The largest reductions include 25% reduction in psychological excessive worry, 22% reduction in emotional hyper-vigilance and irritability, and 21% reductions in cognitive lack of concentration and emotional uneasiness among community members. Variations were less in the areas of restlessness and excessive sweating, at reductions of 1% and 4% respectively. These may be interpreted as the physical cleansing aspects of the medicinal plants in teas and the actual heat experienced in the vapor baths as logical influences in responses between the Pre-and Post-tests.

- Pre-and Post-test results for the category of depression indicate a 12% overall reduction in symptoms associated with depression. The greatest reductions include a 28% reduction in psychological mood swings, a 22% reduction in emotional and psychological feelings of overwhelming sadness, and a 20% reduction of emotional psychological feelings of hopelessness. The smallest variations were positive with regard to depression. These included participants not feeling as if they don't care, which conversely means the participants cared more following the intervention (-12%). As well there was a -2% reduction in thoughts related to feelings of self-harm.

- Of note, the Curanderas who trained the research team on the healing modalities and Advisory members who have guided the research study have been participants in the healing aspect of the study and not only report favorable results, but fidelity in the use of herbal remedies as well as the healing modalities practiced as being culturally accurate and this appropriate.

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Video Gallery

Three of five multilngual (4 Mixtec variantes, English, Spanish) resiliency resource videos were produced to support community members suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression at the onset of COVID-19.

A video in Mixtec on the use Epazote one of one of the herbs found to be helpful to treat memory loss as it relates to mental distress.

A video on Ruda one of the medicinal plants found to help with post partum depression.

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Author Information

Lorri M. R. J. Santamaría (Louisiana Creole Choctaw descent) is the Director & Principal Investigator for Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié and Director for Proyecto ACCESO at The Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP). Dr. Santamaría is a former Professor of Multilingual and Multicultural Education and Educational Leadership in the Schools of Education at California State University, San Marcos and The University of Auckland in New Zealand. She is also a Reiki Master Teacher and a Yogi who practices Indigenous healing in Ventura County. With over 50 scholarly books and publications, her research interests are centered around critical aspects of social justice & equity, Indigeneity, Indigenous healing, and diversity as a resource. Her focus is on international culturally responsive/ sustainable educational leadership, Spiritual Activism and anti-racist research practices. In 2017 she was granted the Jeffrey V. Bennett Award for Outstanding International Research for the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA). Selected publications include: Developing and Sustaining Mixtec Thought Leadership: Immigrant Indigenous Women’s Construction of Community Serving Research (with others in press, Transformations series by the University of Illinois Press); Culturally Responsive leadership in Higher Education (with A. Santamaría 2015, Routledge); and Applied Leadership in Education (with A. Santamaria 2012, Routledge).

Adriana Diego, BA (Afro Indigenous descent) is an Oxnard Native who works in a range of community organizer/ collective capacities toward social and Indigenous justice. As well as working with Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié as a Research Assistant and Evaluation Coordinator, Ms. Diego has served as the Project Coordinator and Supervisor for MICOP’s Conexión con Mis Compañeras. Adriana has Certification in Usui/ Holy Fire Reiki I and II and is studying to become a Reiki Master. Currently Ms. Diego works as a Garden Coordinator at the Community Roots Garden as well as a Field Specialist at The Abundant Table Farm. She is also a founder and volunteers for the Oxnard Heirloom Seed Library.

Liliana Manriquez, MA (Chicana) is an Oxnard Native, raised by two Mexican immigrant parents. Working as a Research Assistant and Evaluation Coordinator for MICOP’s Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié project, she is utilizing her degrees in Psychology and Mexican American Studies to help better the people in her community. She has experience working as a teaching assistant, community organizer, and student outreach for higher education. Currently, Ms. Manriquez is a also working as the Project Coordinator for Proyecto Acceso with MICOP. She loves the ocean, traveling, and learning about traditional indigenous medicines of the Americas. Her goal is to do work in life that makes an impact to the people in underserved and underrepresented communities, but most importantly she values the impact of her family.

Doña Alberta Salazar (Mixteco) is a mamá and a pillar of the local Mixteco community. She is originally from San Francisco de Higos, Oaxaca. From a young age, she witnessed her mother and other women in her community healing their town using herbs and other indigenous medicines. She has worked for MICOP for a number of years as a teacher and Promotora of a number of MICOP projects, including childcare. As a Promotora Specialist for Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié, Doña Alberta is the head Ethnobotanist/ Herbalogist specializing in the curative use and application of medicinal plants, herbs, and gardening as related to energetic and Indigenous healing practices. Doña Alberta also has Certification in Usui/ Holy Fire Reiki I and II and is studying to become a Reiki Master.

Claudia Lozáno, BA (Xicana-Caxcan) has been working as a Promotora Specialist for Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié in Mixteco/ Indigena for three years. She attributes her love of nature to her grandparents, who she developed this admiration from a young age. She states that it is in nature and the wisdom of her ancestors that she has found peace and strength. Claudia specializes in energetic indigenous healing practices. As part of this work, she conducts outreach and research within our community. She has Certification in Usui/ Holy Fire Reiki I and II and is studying to become a Reiki Master. Ms. Lozano also works as a Community Development Coordinator for the non-profit organization Community Action of Ventura County.

Luisa León Salazar (Mixteco) is new mama to baby Alison, as well as a Promotora Specialist for Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié. She is originally from Guadalupe Morelos, Oaxaca and her knowledge of Indigenous medicine comes from her Mother. Luisa also specializes in energetic and Indigenous healing practices. She has Certification in Usui/ Holy Fire Reiki I and II and is studying to become a Reiki Master. Mrs. León Salazar also works as a Promotora with el proyecto Voz de la Mujer Indígena at MICOP. She conducts outreach for voz and research within our community for Curando el Alma.

Silvia García Aguilar, AA (Mixteco) is an award winning 4.0 student at Ventura Community College. Her parents are originally from San Martin Peras, Oaxaca. Before living in the United States, Silvia lived with her grandparents and it was during that time that she began her interest in how her grandmother cured people in Oaxaca. She has been working with Healing the Soul –Curando el Alma – Na Sánaeé Inié for three years as a Promotora Specialist in Mixteco/ Indigena healing practices, as well as conducting outreach and research within our community. Silvia has Certification in Usui/ Holy Fire Reiki I and II and is studying to become a Reiki Master. Ms. García-Aguilar also works for MICOP’s ‘Every Woman Counts’ project and as an interpreter in local Oxnard school districts.

Abstract

Research processes led and undertaken by Indigenous people serving their communities is qualitatively different. This inquiry chronicles the journey toward the development of Indigenous research methodology by Indigenous researchers from within a migant Oaxacan, Mexican Indigenous community in Oxnard, California. Research was located in a non-profit organization funded by the State of California’s Mental Health Services Association (MHSA). Aims were to validate, integrate, and celebrate Mixteco/Indígena healing practices within the community to counter symptoms and effects of stress, anxiety, and depression among 20,000 people impacted. Findings indicate the importance of understanding that authentic stakeholder Indigenous collaboration may be the provision of Indigenous communities with educational resources and personnel to assist the pursuit of research sustaining Indigenous ways of being.

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