Article reframes the discussion surrounding mental health recognizing that Indigenous peoples have a holistic view of health that encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and environmental spectrum of wellbeing. Notes implications for government policy and for frontline practice.
International Journal of Indigenous Health, vol. 14, no. 2, Growing Roots of Indigenous Wellbeing, October 31, 2019, pp. 74-94
Description
Authors examine colonial traumas—Indigenous separation from land, culture, and relations—which occur as a result of ongoing and neo-colonial practices, as a determinant of Indigenous peoples’ physical and mental health.
Report includes the following papers:
Report of the Chief by J. Walter Fewkes
Social Organization and Social Usages of the Indians of the Creek Confederacy by John R. Swanton
Religious Beliefs and Medical Practices of the Creek Indians by John R. Swanton
Aboriginal Culture of the Southeast by John R. Swanton
Indian Trails of the Southeast by William Edward Myer
Native Social Work Journal, vol. 7, Promising Practices in Mental Health: Emerging Paradigms for Aboriginal Social Work Practices, November 2010, pp. 181-197
Description
Looks at the challenges of incorporating Aboriginal spirituality into the helping process, and examines how to explore and integrate spirituality with individuals, families and communities.
Native Social Work Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, HIV/AIDS: Issues within Aboriginal Populations, September 2000, pp. 195-214
Description
Looks at history of the two-spirited people, their suppression and oppression by both religious authorities and state policies. The article also discusses how homophobia and AIDS-related stigma impact two-spirited people and Aboriginal communities.
Native Studies Review, vol. 8, no. 1, 1992, pp. 23-33
Description
Examines impact of epidemic and suggests high death rate was not the result of biological invasion but of poor living conditions, poor nutrition and lack of access to medical care.
Cultural Survival Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 1, Sacred Places, Sacred Lifeways, March 2012, p. [?]
Description
Discusses the importance of potatoes and how Indigenous farmers strengthen local economies and wellbeing based on cultural traditions and biological diversity.
CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 190, no. 50, December 17, 2018, pp. E1466-E1467
Description
Authors note that the current drug overdose crisis disproportionately affects Indigenous people as a result of a legacy of colonialism, racism and intergenerational trauma; argue that reconciliation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples must include dismantling structural conditions which produce drug-related harms, and that current harm-reduction models must integrate Indigenous cultural values.