Wa’U Hanga: the Rise of Native American Women Who Pursue Elected State Office
The topic of this analysis involves the pursuit of elected office by Native American women. Unfortunately, there are a disproportionately smaller number of Native American women who are represented in municipal, state, and federal government. In a culturally diverse world, it is important that there is equal representation at the table when implementing or discussing policies that impact minority communities (Deane, 2015). This study focuses on Native American women pursuing elected office on a state level. I used a qualitative phenomenological research approach for this study and data was collected from interviews and artifacts from Native American women who have pursued state office. I discovered factors that influenced the participants’ decision to run for public office. There were seven themes that were discovered from the research. The seven themes included activism, advocacy, balancing two worlds, community, culture and traditions, poverty, and support. The central phenomenon was giving back to the community. I proposed four recommendations for the political party leaders, gatekeepers, local political county parties, and Native American women candidates that would help address issues from the findings. Keywords: Native American women, politics, experiences, motivation, leadership
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