Abstract
The lived experiences of 11 Tłįchǫ high school graduates from the Aboriginal community of Behchokö, Northwest Territories were explored. A blended identity-based and ecological lens facilitated holistic understandings of resilience processes, lifecourse patterns, and domains of meaningful learning. Narratives revealed a bicultural tension embodied in late elder Elizabeth Mackenzie’s call for Tłįchǫ youth to become “strong like two people”: competent and confident in both an Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultural world. Deeper understandings of social identities and resilience-enhancing supports, resources, and contexts informed the development of a model of dynamic resilience for Tłįchǫ students and three broad educational policy recommendations.
