Spiraling Up: Agency and Resilience among Indigenous Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Based on 140 interviews with respondents in six Indigenous communities in Alaska, New Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, this phenomenological study focuses on Indigenous communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Flora and Flora’s Community Capitals Framework, as well as Emery and Flora’s concept of the spiral of Community Capitals assets, this article explores both the challenges and coping mechanisms of Indigenous Peoples. Our findings suggest that perceived well-being during the pandemic was influenced by perceptions of agency as well as sentiment regarding pandemic policies. An initial “spiraling down” of community assets was offset by community strengths, particularly socio-cultural assets, leading to a “spiraling up.” This article seeks to highlight the voices of Indigenous Peoples, demonstrating through lived experiences how our respondents used the strengths of their community to reverse the downward spiral of assets during the pandemic, while serving as a contribution to the literature on governance and cultural protection.