LEGACY BUILDING
IN SOCIAL WORK:

Cary Waubanascum Hewpetoss, Ph.D., is a proud member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Wakeny^ta (Turtle Clan), with ancestral roots in the Menominee, Forest County Potawatomi, and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Nations of Wisconsin. She is a wife to Lance and Aknulha to a son and daughter. In July, 2021 she earned her PhD from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in Mni Sota Makoce. Her dissertation titled, “This is how we show up for our relatives”: Understanding how Indigenous relative caregivers embody traditional kinship to resist the colonial child welfare system”, uncovered ongoing colonialism perpetuated by the modern child welfare system and how Indigenous relatives continue to reclaim and live their traditional kinship amidst ongoing colonialism. Her work focuses on identifying and challenging ongoing colonialism and Indigenous erasure and reclaiming Indigenous lifeways. She was previously a social worker for 10-years with Tribal communities in Northeastern Wisconsin. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Professional Programs at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay.