Indigenous Health & Healing_DCHC PDF
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Durham Community Health Centre
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This presentation discusses Indigenous health and healing practices, including historical trauma and ongoing challenges faced by Indigenous communities. It highlights the importance of culturally aware care and building trust between Indigenous people and healthcare systems.
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Indigenous Health & Healing OUR WAY OF LIFE Introduction: Who Are We? We are Indigenous Outreach Workers from Durham Community Health Centre, and we are so thankful for this opportunity to share our knowledge and history of First Nation people and the disparities they face with the Healthcare sys...
Indigenous Health & Healing OUR WAY OF LIFE Introduction: Who Are We? We are Indigenous Outreach Workers from Durham Community Health Centre, and we are so thankful for this opportunity to share our knowledge and history of First Nation people and the disparities they face with the Healthcare system. Our goal is to highlight the current and ongoing challenges that have faced various Indigenous communities, this includes; historical trauma, systematic discrimination and the ongoing struggles when accessing healthcare. As First Nation peoples we aim to create understanding and encourage conversations about the importance of culturally aware care. We aim to bridge the gap in knowledge and assist in building trust for Indigenous people and healthcare systems/providers. Anishinaabe Worldview as Philosophy In the Anishinaabe worldview, all beings originating from Earth have a spirit and can enter into a relationship with human beings. Establishing the chronological context in which Anishinaabe cultural traditions exist is vital. Anishinaabe history, from an Anishinaabe viewpoint, is not the history introduced in Western culture’s framework. The eternal and permanent reality of Anishinaabe philosophy is the standing and significance of teachings; Anishinaabe philosophy has arranged its worth on the truth found in teachings. 5 Pre-Contact Our Ancestors lived off the land. Never taking more than was needed and giving back to the earth to give thanks and replenish. We never stayed long in one area as we followed the herds that we hunted, so we could feed our people all year round. Everywhere we went we would come back a year later, which enabled the area to regrow and revitalize. Interconnectedness-Respect and Honor of all things living as everyone and everything has a Spirit. Gratitude Sacred words through Ceremony, Drumming, Song and Dance Always Giving thanks to Creator and Mother Earth for all that is provided to sustain life on this planet. We used every part of the animal that we hunted and always gave thanks to them for giving up their life for us to eat and survive. We fished and were also trapped in rivers and lakes. Traditional knowledge (Anishinaabe ways of life) 7 4 Sacred Medicines Smudging is always voluntary. It is completely acceptable for a person to indicate that they do not want to smudge. That person may choose to stay in the room and refrain from smudging or leave the room during the smudge. Respect for all is the guiding principle in any Indigenous tradition. Tobacco (Sema) Sage Cedar Sweetgrass Smudging also allows people to let go of negative feelings and thoughts. Letting go of things that inhibit a person from being balanced and focused comes from the feeling of being calm and safe while smudging. Smudging, 4 Sacred Medicines & Medicine Wheel Medicine Wheel Teachings Wholistic Knowledge contains all elements of the individual; Emotional Physical Spiritual Intellectual The 4 Quadrants- Emotional, Physical Spiritual and Intellectual must be balanced for wholistic well-being, compared to Western medicine believing that the mind and body are two different entities. 7 Grandfathers Teaching Humility- Dbaadendiziwin Honesty- gwekwaadziwin Bravery- Aakwa’ode’win Wisdom- Nbwaakaawin Truth- Debwewin Respect- Mnaadendimowin Love- Zaagidwin Post-Contact The arrival of Dutch settlers marked the first friendship/Wampum treaty symbolizing initial cooperation and respect to one another. The colonization of Turtle Island led to devastating consequences. Diseases like smallpox nearly wiped-out Indigenous populations, exacerbating the loss of life and culture. The arrival of Uk/European settlers marked the beginning of significant disruption of Indigenous Communities. In the North, the Inuit faced severe relocation, with over 1,000 Kimmah (sled dogs) slaughtered, crippling their ability to hunt, travel and survive. This devastation reduced their numbers to just 50, who migrated inland to repopulate and revive their language and culture. Alcohol had been brought over to Turtle Island by European settlers, the misuse had led to violence, including the tragic impact of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The introduction of sugar contributed to rising diabetes rates within these communities. Continuation Of Post-Contact Residential schools operated as instruments of cultural genocide, forcibly removing children from their families; inflicting physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Many children never returned home, leaving unmarked graves scattered across Canada. The Sixties Scoop further disrupted families, as children were taken from their homes and placed in non-Indigenous care. The trauma from residential schools, Indian Day schools, and the Sixties Scoop has resulted in intergenerational trauma as trauma changes DNA structure. Understanding the concepts of epigenetics, blood and cell memory highlights how trauma can alter DNA structure, perpetuating suffering across generations to generations. This deep-rooted pain manifests in mental health and addiction issues, as parents, unable to care for their children due to their own unresolved trauma, this led to Sixties Scoop. Article - Volume 44, N.4 April 2024 -HEALTH PROMOTION AND CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION IN CANADA-RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE The 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) established that: Every human being has the fundamental right to the highest attainable standard of health. Health inequities continue to exist worldwide. Studies show that Indigenous people living in rural or remote communities had greater concern about privacy, confidentiality and accessibility compared to those living in Urban areas. Primary HealthCare (PHC) access and quality continue to persist for socially marginalized populations and in this case Indigenous Peoples. Ultimately defines as social exclusion due to the lack of power, resources and status that leads them to limited opportunity or accessibility. Current Healthcare Barries The research states then when trying to access PHC services, Indigenous patients received discrimination, racism, lack of culturally safe care and accessible care. Indigenous participants from Urban, rural and remote locations valued healthcare providers demonstrating Respect towards them, their family and their Cultural identity. First Nations, Inuit and Metis patients in Urban or rural or remote areas were immediately assumed to have tobacco, drug addiction and intoxicated by alcohol, to have abusive partners, to mistreat their children or any combination of these without any actual justification or evidence of such claims. When trying to access treatment for anything pain related First Nations, Inuit and Metis people were assumed they were only there to get high. Negative stereotypes automatically formed the basis of the care that Indigenous peoples received and were generally dismissed and turned away Health care providers are expected to exhibit Culturally sensitive care and to have had training and to possess knowledge about Indigenous history, Traditions, customs and challenges and the historical trauma’s they faced. When these qualities were present in PHC providers were perceived to be more helpful and genuine, supportive and empathetic by First Nations, Inuit Calls To Action (Health) TRC 20. In order to address the jurisdictional disputes concerning Aboriginal people who do not reside on reserves, we call upon the federal government to recognize, respect, and address the distinct health needs of the Métis, Inuit, and off-reserve Aboriginal peoples. TRC 21. Calls to Action-provide funding for Healing Centre's for this exact practice of the 4 quadrants needed to heal as community and individually due to historical trauma’s. TRC 22. Calls to Action-Upon request Elders, Spiritual Healers, Sacred Medicines available for Indigenous Patients. TRC 24. We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Current & Future Recommendations Cultural and historical training when hired for a position in healthcare. Knowledge of Historical trauma’s-leading into several addiction and mental health issues First Nations Inuit and Metis people face today. Keeping in mind 7 generations to heal. Creating awareness on days such as; Indigenous Peoples Day, Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day) and National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S). Indigenous people value safe, accessible and respectful care. The discrimination and racism we face negatively affect our overall health and well-being. It is crucial that changes be implemented in the health care system, practices, trainings structures and policy. Mainstream publications regarding Indigenous knowledge, primary published by non-Indigenous peoples emphasize statistical or factual parts while ignoring spiritual foundations. The Anishinaabe (Ojibway) culture employs Anishinaabe means of cooperating, creating and exchanging knowledge. Aboriginal peoples employ various strategies to transfer information and educate newer generations. Miigwech ᒦᒃᐌᒡ Thank you