Journal of Family Issues 1–26 © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0192513X15597292 jfi.sagepub.com Article Alaska Native Grandparents Rearing Grandchildren: A Rural Community Story Tammy L. Henderson 1 , Minh Dinh 1 , Kerry Morgan 2 , and Jordan Lewis 3 Abstract We used community-based participatory research with four tiers of governance and grounded theory methods to examine the lives of Alaska Native grandparents rearing grandchildren in a rural community. We explored the reasons Native grandparents reared or are rearing their grandchildren, challenges rearing grandchildren, and the joys of grandparenthood. We used their words to broaden the grandparenting research by focusing solely on Native People living in a rural, arctic climate. Culture, values, and traditions explain the unique reasons grandparents cared for their grandchildren; values and common concerns of all grandparents describe the challenges of grandparenthood; pride and joy, the value of love, and traditional ways of living made clear the joys of Alaska Native grandparents rearing their grandchildren. After the discussion, we offer considerations for future research. Keywords Alaska Native People, grandparents rearing grandchildren, cultures, traditions, traditional ways of living, values, joys of grandparenthood, challenges rearing grandchildren. 1 Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA 2 Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, USA 3 University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA Corresponding Author: Tammy L. Henderson, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University, 233 Human Sciences, Stillwater, OK 74078-6122, USA. Email: tammy.henderson@okstate.edu 597292JFI XX X 10.1177/0192513X15597292Journal of Family IssuesHenderson et al. research-article 2015 by guest on November 17, 2015 jfi.sagepub.com Downloaded from