A Heritage of Stars: The Dangerous Business of Being a Woman and What to Do About It

My mother put herself through nursing school, joyfully worked in a remote hospital, loved much, ran away from snakes, transformed a stifling faith into a freeing one, all while looking at the stars she remembered from her violent childhood. Every day, she took danger and fear, and she took the light of the stars, and she blended them into something uniquely her. This was her work. This chapter explores this work—of grinding starlight into the everyday danger and violence of life and sharing it through stories and action with communities. I’ll share stories from my own family and experience, but also stories from my research and community in West Papua, a remarkable group of Mamas who live the courage of stars every day. This chapter concludes with ideas for further practice inspired by the Mamas in Papua, particularly how to dwell in their stories and act on those stories after community consultation.