“The Strengths of Our Community and Our Culture” (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
Despite reported disparities in mental health for the Métis population, as well as the historic and contemporary challenges that many Métis people face in maintaining cultural connectedness, cultural continuity research with Métis communities remains largely ignored. To address this gap, this research sought to explore the meaning of cultural continuity and mental health for Métis people in British Columbia (BC). This thesis includes a meta-synthesis of relevant, original research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the United States, and a grounded theory study that explores Métis participants' experiences and conceptualizations of mental health and cultural continuity. Through the development of a Métis cultural continuity framework and evidence that associates cultural continuity as a Métis determinant of health, the findings point to the need for conducting community-driven quantitative research, in addition to supporting cultural practices, language revitalization, and Elder-youth engagement opportunities for increased cultural continuity for Métis people in BC.
International Indigenous Policy Journal, 2016
As a strengths-based alternative to Western notions of enculturation and acculturation theory, cultural continuity describes the integration of people within their culture and the methods through which traditional knowledge is maintained and transmitted. Through reviewing relevant, original research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the United States, the purpose of this metasynthesis is to describe and interpret qualitative research relating to cultural continuity for Indigenous Peoples in North America. This metasynthesis was conducted through the selection, appraisal, and synthesis of 11 qualitative studies. Across the selected studies, five key themes arose: the connection between cultural continuity and health and well-being, conceptualizations of cultural continuity and connectedness, the role of knowledge transmission, journeys of cultural (dis)continuity, and barriers to cultural continuity.
International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 2018
In Canada, high rates of anxiety, depression and suicides have resulted in mental health crises in First Nation (FN) communities. To date, Indigenous worldviews and approaches have not been fully heeded in mainstream strategies to address the complexity of living in colonial oppression, despite ongoing crises for decades. We describe perspectives of eight FN communities explaining cultural facilitators of mental wellbeing. The objective is to promote understanding of wellbeing in the context of sociocultural realities of FN communities and elaborate communitybased practices. Qualitative methods involved FN partners in study design, implementation and data interpretation processes. Local research assistants collected data in all participating communities. Respondents were purposefully selected, Elders were recommended based on their knowledge of FN cultures and traditional wellness practices and awareness of health and social issues in respective communities. Results challenge specific histories of dispossession and assaults on community, language, identity, Elders, family; traditional healing practices emerged as important in enhancing mental wellbeing among FN. Culturally informed approaches aim to restore balance and harmony as prerequisite to health. A framework based on the voices of FN in Manitoba is proposed for achieving mental wellbeing by and for FN people as an integral part of primary healthcare.
Since the last decades, academic research has paid much attention to the phenomenon of revitalizing indigenous cultures and, more precisely, the use of traditional indigenous healing methods both to deal with individuals' mental health problems and with broader cultural issues. The re-evaluation of traditional indigenous healing practices as a mode of psychotherapeutic treatment has been perhaps one of the most interesting sociocultural processes in the postmodern era. In this regard, incorporating indigenous forms of healing in a contemporary framework of indigenous mental health treatment should be interpreted not simply as an alternative therapeutic response to the clinical context of Western psychiatry, but also constitutes a political response on the part of ethno-cultural groups that have been stereotyped as socially inferior and culturally backward. As a result, a postmodern form of "traditional healing" developed with various forms of knowledge, rites and the s...
First Nation and Métis Youth Perspectives of Health: An Indigenous Qualitative Inquiry
This article describes an Indigenous and qualitative research project with 13 First Nation (FN) and Métis youth attending an Aboriginal youth health and wellness program located in the Canadian prairies. Our goal was to collaborate with the youth to co-create knowledge concerning their definitions of health using a convergence of Indigenous and qualitative methodologies. Independent but interconnected themes that emerged are discussed as related to neurodecolonization and the recovery of traditional practices and their contribution to youth resilience. The resilience of youth was reflected in these themes as well as their definitions of health. Our findings point to the importance of acknowledging and validating the role that neurodecolonization practices contribute to healing, both at individual and collective levels. Furthermore, we suggest recognizing resilience as well as viewing health holistically to more adequately understand and address the healthrelated concerns of FNs, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) youth.
Trends in Métis-related Health Research (1980-2009): Identification of Research Gaps
Objective: Several literature reviews have highlighted the under-representation of Métis in research regarding Aboriginal Peoples. However, to date, an in-depth examination of trends in Métis research has not been undertaken. This literature review aims to identify trends and gaps in Métis-related health/well-being research over the past three decades (1980-2009). Methods: Health, medical and social sciences literature databases including Cochrane, CINAHL, Embase, Pubmed, PyschInfo, and Web of Science were searched for Métis-relevant peer-reviewed articles published between 1980 and 2009 via two search strategies: 1) using the terms “Métis,” “mixedblood” or “half-breed,” and 2) using a combination of terms: (Aboriginal OR Indigenous OR native OR “First Nation” OR Indian) and (mixed OR European OR Caucasian OR white) and “Canada”. Articles pertaining to the health/well-being of Métis in Canada were retained, coded and analyzed by study type/design, gender-specificity, geography, research topic, the extent to which Métis-specific breakdown of findings was provided, and methodological quality relating to validity and reliability of the study. Results: Noteworthy strengths in Métis research were observed, including increasing attention to chronic diseases, diet/nutrition/physical activity, and maternal and child health; a trend towards increased presentation of Métis-specific results among pan-Aboriginal studies, and female-specific and qualitative studies; and an equitable focus on urban and rural areas. Gaps were seen in research related to environment/toxicology, genetics, health delivery/programming/policy, injury, mental health (MH)/addictions, social determinants of health, and violence/crime. In addition, a dearth of male-specific research was identified. Also, most articles were cross-sectional in design. Finally, despite an increase in Métis-related articles over the past three decades, a large proportion of articles remained pan-Aboriginal in nature and did not provide a Métis-specific breakdown of findings. With respect to methodological quality, nearly two thirds of all studies were of strong or moderate quality (cross-sectional studies), good quality (cohort/case-control studies) or acceptable quality (qualitative and mixed methods studies). Conclusion: Several gaps exist in Métis-related health/well-being research with respect to study type/design, gender-specificity, research topics, presentation of Métis-specific findings, and methodological quality. In addition to specific gaps, the overall limited number of research articles/studies needs to be recognized. These deficiencies could be alleviated by increasing targeted funding and support for Métis-related research, and removing barriers to Métis-specific research. Addressing gaps in Métis health research will enable identification of appropriate targets for intervention and, subsequently, design, development and evaluation of interventions to address Métis health disparities and their determinants. Key words: Review; Indigenous population; health research; medical research; trends; Métis
Feeding the Roots of Cultural Identity: Indigenous Wellness in Canada
Indigenous, Aboriginal, Fugitive and Ethnic Groups Around the Globe, 2019
While responses to native addictions and mental issues are continued priorities, the overarching focus is to recognize the diasporic status of indigenous peoples, to improve native wellness, and to establish cross-cultural identity for all Canadians. Historical culture, ways of knowing and language support strength-based approaches, alongside which relational structures-elders, families, communities, creation-play essential roles in native whole health. A comprehensive Continuum Framework guides federal, provincial, and territorial stakeholder efforts toward native wellness, supported by engaging indigenous communities. Indigenous wellness balances the physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental quadrants of whole health. Balanced well-being is enriched by (i) purpose in individuals' daily lives through education, employment, caregiving, and cultural ways of being and doing; (ii) hope for the future grounded in a sense of core identity, indigenous values, and spirit; (iii) a sense of belonging and connectedness with all relations and culture; and (iv) understanding and deriving meaning from individual, family, and community lives as part of creation and rich history. Indigenous philosophy can be understood and appreciated through the lenses of various Western theoretical approaches that are constructionist by design, whereby Canadians may get one step closer toward achieving a cross-cultural identity. This shared vision requires innovative leadership, sustained commitment, and effective partnerships.
First Nation and Métis Youth Perspectives of Health
Qualitative Inquiry, 2016
This article describes an Indigenous and qualitative research project with 13 First Nation (FN) and Métis youth attending an Aboriginal youth health and wellness program located in the Canadian prairies. Our goal was to collaborate with the youth to co-create knowledge concerning their definitions of health using a convergence of Indigenous and qualitative methodologies. Independent but interconnected themes that emerged are discussed as related to neurodecolonization and the recovery of traditional practices and their contribution to youth resilience. The resilience of youth was reflected in these themes as well as their definitions of health. Our findings point to the importance of acknowledging and validating the role that neurodecolonization practices contribute to healing, both at individual and collective levels. Furthermore, we suggest recognizing resilience as well as viewing health holistically to more adequately understand and address the health-related concerns of FNs, Mé...