Kristin Rizkalla, M. Maar, L. Mcgregor, R. Pilon, Maurianne Reade
{"title":"Intimate Partner Violence Against Indigenous Men in Heterosexual Relationships: Toward a Culturally Safe Response in Primary Health Care Settings","authors":"Kristin Rizkalla, M. Maar, L. Mcgregor, R. Pilon, Maurianne Reade","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33060","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Most Indigenous intimate partner violence (IPV) research and interventions are geared toward women, while the experiences of Indigenous men as survivors of IPV are not well investigated or understood. Indigenous men are typically portrayed as perpetrators of violence yet very seldom as survivors of violence, although they experience disproportionately high rates of violence, including IPV, when compared to non-Indigenous men. Our community-based participatory research, conducted in partnership with First Nations communities in Northern Ontario, Canada, completed in 2019, identified this bias as a major barrier for Indigenous men to disclose IPV in a health service setting, where a safe space and support should be available. The primary health care providers involved in this study reported awareness of serious abuse perpetrated against First Nations men in heterosexual relationships. However, they also cited insufficient preparedness within the primary care system to respond to the needs of these men, including significant gaps in culturally safe services. These findings warrant attention and action. We offer recommendations for health and social services and community organizations to help address, in culturally safe ways, IPV experienced by Indigenous men and its effects on families and communities. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44571399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The The Violence of Colonization and the Importance of Decolonizing Therapeutic Relationship: The Role of Helper in Centring Indigenous Wisdom","authors":"Riel Dupuis-Rossi","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33223","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33223","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Engaging existing literature and current mainstream frontline health and mental health practice, this article expands research on the impact of colonization and mainstream mental health practices on Indigenous clients. Through this process, it creates new ground on which decolonizing therapeutic responses to ongoing attempted genocide are introduced, described, and developed. I identify the brutality of historical and contemporary colonization as one of the major influences in undermining Indigenous clients’ health and wellbeing—a perspective that decentres and resists individualistic pathologizing that is the focal point of mainstream psychiatric diagnoses and treatment. I also illustrate the negative impacts of psychiatric assessment for Indigenous clients and demonstrate how mainstream mental health practices, in not acknowledging colonization as the context for Indigenous clients’ suffering, are implicated in ongoing enactments of colonial oppression. The mainstream assessment of Indigenous clients’ suicidality as an individualized mental health disorder is also problematized. I conclude by centring Indigenous ways of knowing and culture in the promotion of health and wellbeing for Indigenous clients. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48166043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Urban Land-Based Healing: A Northern Intervention Strategy","authors":"Nicole Redvers, M. Nadeau, Donald Prince","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.33177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.33177","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Urban Indigenous populations face significant health and social disparities across Canada. With high rates of homelessness and substance use, there are often few options for urban Indigenous Peoples to access land-based healing programs despite the increasingly known and appreciated benefits. In May 2018, the first urban land-based healing camp opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, one of the first to our knowledge in Canada or the United States. This camp may serve as a potential model for an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-based healing camp in an urban setting. We present preliminary outcome data from the healing camp in a setting with a high-risk population struggling with substance use and homelessness. Reflections are presented for challenging logistical and methodological considerations for applications elsewhere. This northern effort affords us ample opportunity for expanding the existing knowledge base for land- based healing applied to an urban Indigenous high-risk setting. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49348856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Project George: An Indigenous Land-Based Approach to Resilience for Youth","authors":"Janice Cindy Gaudet","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.31668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.31668","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000The research shared in this article seeks an understanding of Indigenous resilience within the context of a culturally responsive land-based initiative, Project George, led by the Moose Cree First Nation, also known as the Omushkego people. The initiative centres core Cree values, community engagement, and land-based skills to ensure the well-being of youth. Their Homeland is located in the waterways and on the western shores of the Hudson and James Bay Lowlands in Ontario, Canada. The methodology involved researcher participation and engagement as part of a 4-month field presence; informal conversations and visiting; as well as formal semistructured interviews with community members over 4 years from 2012 to 2015. The research explores the benefits and challenges of a land-based program by highlighting the experiences and voices of community and program participants who directly engaged with Project George. The findings show that land-based learning initiatives inspired and driven by Indigenous people foster a regenerative approach to wellness based on relation to land, culture, and identity. A return to land-based learning responds to the ongoing colonial complexities affecting the health and wellness of Indigenous youth in Canada and draws strength from the people’s resilient practices. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45630877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Addressing Institutional Racism Against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia in Mainstream Health Services: Insights From Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services","authors":"Anna Socha","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33918","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33918","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000With long colonial histories, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia experience lower life expectancy and a higher burden of illness. To this day, Indigenous Peoples experience interpersonal, systemic, and institutional racism in the mainstream public health system of Australia, leading to the under- use of mainstream health services and resulting in many Indigenous Australians living in a state of persistent crisis. Extreme and unacceptable levels of institutional racism have been identified in the hospitals and health services of Queensland, Australia, using the Marrie Institutional Racism Matrix (MIRM), an evidence-based assessment tool for identifying, measuring, and monitoring racism in institutional settings. This paper aims to identify ways to address institutional racism against Indigenous Peoples in the health care sector. Specifically, using publicly available documents, a case study analysis of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), a network of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, is conducted using the MIRM as a guide. The conclusion is that the IUIH actively works to address institutional racism by (a) including Indigenous people in key decision-making processes and structures; (b) undertaking numerous community engagement strategies; (c) building partnerships within and outside the health sector to address the social determinants of health; and (d) working in ways that align with Indigenous ways of being and doing. It is argued that mainstream health services need to be aware of institutional racism and learn from the approaches of Indigenous-led organizations to create institutions that are inclusive of Indigenous members of society. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49198655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adaptations to the Serious Illness Conversation Guide to Be More Culturally Safe","authors":"Elizabeth Beddard-Huber, G. Gaspard, Kathleen Yue","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33192","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000The Serious Illness Conversation Guide (SICG) has been shown to be an effective communication tool used by health care professionals when interacting with patients facing a life-limiting illness. However, Ariadne Labs, the originators of the tool, have not tested it with First Nations and Indigenous Peoples. In this project, the British Columbia Centre for Palliative Care and the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia (BC), Canada collaborated to adapt the SICG to be more culturally safe for First Nations and Indigenous Peoples. Multiple feedback strategies were employed. Feedback was received from 35 older adults, Elders, and community members from two First Nations communities plus approximately 80 nurses serving in First Nations communities across BC. Key areas of focus for feedback on the clinical tool included setting up the conversation, involving family, closing the conversation, and using principles of health literacy to reduce power differences. Three questions were added in response to feedback received. By creating a safe space for dialogue, it is hoped that health care providers and family members will develop a deeper understanding of what is important to the person with a life-limiting illness. These conversations promote patient-centred health care that aligns with patient values and wishes. Findings from this project directly informed modification of the tool to support a more culturally safe conversation. Further research will inform whether this tool is culturally safe for all seriously ill people. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46877793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Krista Stelkia, Lindsay Beck, Anita Manshadi, Ashlyn Jensen Fisk, Evan M. Adams, A. Browne, Corinne Dixon, D. McEachern, Wendy Ritchie, Shannon McDonald, B. Henry, N. Marsden, Daniéle Behn-Smith, J. Reading
{"title":"Letsemot, “Togetherness”: Exploring How Connection to Land, Water, and Territory Influences Health and Wellness with First Nations Knowledge Keepers and Youth in the Fraser Salish Region of British Columbia","authors":"Krista Stelkia, Lindsay Beck, Anita Manshadi, Ashlyn Jensen Fisk, Evan M. Adams, A. Browne, Corinne Dixon, D. McEachern, Wendy Ritchie, Shannon McDonald, B. Henry, N. Marsden, Daniéle Behn-Smith, J. Reading","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.33206","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.33206","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Connection to land has been identified as a central determinant of the health and well-being of First Nations in Canada. The wholistic, interconnected, spiritual, and sacred relationship that many Indigenous Peoples have with the land is an integral part of strengthening physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health and well-being. However, there has been little empirical evidence on how to assess, measure, and report on connection to land for First Nations Peoples. Using a Two- Eyed Seeing approach, this study explores what connection to land, water, and territory means for health and wellness for First Nations in the Fraser Salish region in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Data were collected through a sharing circle with five First Nations Knowledge Keepers and five youth from Stó:lō communities as part of a land-based gathering in Stó:lō territory. Three themes were identified: (a) “the spirits of the land, water, and territory are within us”: the intersection of cultural identity, spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and health and well-being; (b) letsemot, “togetherness”: relationality; and (c) disruptions and new ways of living. For Stó:lō Peoples, connection to the land is an integral component of health and well-being. Connection to land was found to strongly influence physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of health while also intersecting with Stó:lō cultural identity, spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and ways of living. The findings can be used to inform the development of an indicator for connection to land, water, and territory as a measurement of ecological wellness for the First Nations Population Health and Wellness Agenda in BC. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46993727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shandryn Kozin, H. Matheson, Tatyana Daniels, Brittany Mullin, Bret Watts, Katie Skelton, J. Erickson, Drew St. Laurent, K. Jongbloed, Evan M. Adams
{"title":"Creating a Future of Our Own Design: The International Indigenous HealthFusion Team Challenge as a Promising Practice to Support Indigenous Students in Health Fields","authors":"Shandryn Kozin, H. Matheson, Tatyana Daniels, Brittany Mullin, Bret Watts, Katie Skelton, J. Erickson, Drew St. Laurent, K. Jongbloed, Evan M. Adams","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33217","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000Training and recruitment of First Nations and Indigenous health professionals is part of reconciliation, addressing health disparities and embedding cultural safety and humility into the health ecosystem of the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Calls to develop the First Nations and Indigenous health workforce are articulated within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 23, BC’s Transformative Change Accord: First Nations Health Plan, and the seven directives that guide the work of the First Nations Health Authority in BC and its health governance partners. This article brings forward the voices of current Indigenous students training in allied health professions at the University of British Columbia and their Indigenous mentors who participated in the 2018 International Indigenous HealthFusion Team Challenge in Sydney, Australia. The Challenge represents a promising practice in training Indigenous health professionals here in BC as it: (1) Affirmed their Indigenous identity, knowledge, and aspirations, supporting them to become more “visible” as Indigenous students; (2) Created a space where both Indigenous and mainstream health discipline knowledges were encouraged, valued, and respected; (3) Provided opportunity to connect with Indigenous peers and health leaders; and (4) Built students’ confidence to take on leadership roles. First Nations and Indigenous students studying in health fields represent the future of BC’s health and wellness ecosystem that brings together the best of Indigenous and mainstream healing approaches. Creating opportunities for students to grow as Indigenous health leaders is part of reconciliation and the new relationship represented by the BC First Nations Health Governance Structure. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46641805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Moving Toward Indigenous-Centred Perinatal Care in Urban Quebec","authors":"Natasha Blanchet-Cohen, Édith Cloutier, Stéphane Laroche, Carole Lévesque, Maxime-Auguste Wawanoloath","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.33211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I2.33211","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores Abinodjic, an initiative of the Native Friendship Centre in Val-d’Or, Quebec, Canada, which aims to move toward Indigenous-centred perinatal care for Indigenous mothers and families. Drawing on the findings of a three-year collaborative developmental evaluation, this article describes the emergence and relevance of a model of perinatal care in which Mino Pimatisi8in (a wholistic view of well-being) is the overarching goal, and where parental experiences, healthy lifestyles, support networks, and cultural knowledges are four interdependent areas of intervention that support children’s well-being, in the context of culturally safe services and approaches. We discuss three key elements significant to the initiative: (a) valuing Indigenous ways of being, (b) centring relationships and supporting the social networks, and (c) being advocates, both directly for community members as well as for Indigenous Peoples generally within the health and social services system. Findings demonstrate the importance of situating perinatal care within a continuum of Indigenous-led social and health services, and providing specific outreach, support, and guidance that are relational, strengths-based, and empowering for Indigenous families.","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46790108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Walking on Our Lands Again: Turning to Culturally Important Plants and Indigenous Conceptualizations of Health in a Time of Cultural and Political Resurgence","authors":"Leigh Joseph","doi":"10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32799/IJIH.V16I1.33205","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 \u0000We are in a time of Indigenous cultural-political resurgence in Canada (Coulthard, 2014; Manuel, 2017; Simpson, 2017; Talaga, 2018). Increasingly, Indigenous Peoples are finding renewed strength, pride, and grounding through cultural practice and the reestablishment of connection to the land. Included in this resurgence are the relationships between people and plants. When we practise our ancestral relationships with our plant relatives, we heal and strengthen ourselves. The depth of connection to place, to ancestors, and to our own mindful presence is amplified when we partake in millennia-old practices of plant cultivation, stewardship, and the integration of plant foods and medicines into our bodies. This time of resurgence emerges from generations of Indigenous Peoples suffering devastating violence, losses, and trauma as a result of colonization. In this paper I address the role that rebuilding Indigenous plant relationships plays in addressing colonial impacts on Indigenous health and in supporting Indigenous cultural and political resurgence. I also put forth Indigenized models for understanding colonial impacts on health and discuss culturally rooted conceptualizations of health that address these impacts from an Indigenous point of view. Finally, I propose a set of guidelines to consider for conducting respectful ethnobotanical research within Indigenous communities. This paper is borne out of a desire for deeper critical engagement with the intersections between colonial history, intergenerational trauma, and Indigenous plant knowledge. Furthermore, this paper acknowledges the strength and resilience of Indigenous Peoples in the face of historical injustice. \u0000 \u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":54163,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Indigenous Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2020-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45690817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}