Violence against Indigenous women tends to be disproportionately high, yet little is known about the historical and community factors that may exacerbate and perpetuate intimate partner violence (IPV). Using a framework of historical oppression, the purpose of this article is to uncover community‐level risk factors identified by Indigenous women who have experienced IPV, and the professionals who work with them. As part of a larger critical ethnography, this study focused on data derived from 49 semistructured interviews with Indigenous women who had experienced IPV and the professionals who work with those affected by IPV. Critical thematic analysis identified various themes related to historical oppression, including cultural disruption, IPV imposed and then internalized as a community norm, community divides, and community inequity, which likely exacerbated or perpetuated IPV. Given the causes of IPV have historical and structural roots, interventions and solutions must be designed with these structural determinants in mind.

Despite the need for education among undergraduate social work students and practitioners to provide culturally relevant services to address the disproportionate rates of violence against Indigenous women in the United States, little is known about which factors Indigenous women identify as protective. Thus, the purpose of this article is to uncover Indigenous women's narratives of resilience or emergent protective factors related to experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). As part of a broader critical ethnography, results emerged from thematic analysis of ethnographic interviews with 29 Indigenous women who had experienced IPV. Women reported the following protective factors: (a) an educational orientation; (b) affirming talents and abilities; (c) constructive coping, which included helping others and expressing emotions; (d) faith; (e) optimism and resilience perspectives; and (f) self-reliance and inner strength. Identified protective factors may guide education for social work students and practitioners regarding how to engage in strengths-based practice with these populations.