Traditional Indigenous Healing & the Land

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Indigenous peoples across Canada who have suffered discrimination in the public health care system.

Racism against Indigenous peoples in Canada’s health care system is causing needless deaths. On September 28, 2020, Joyce Echaquan, a 37 year old Atikamekw woman, died in hospital because her calls for help went unanswered by hospital staff. Joyce is not alone. Aklavik elder, Hugh Papik, died of a stroke in August 2016 after health care workers assumed he was drunk and did not treat him (Rowe). More must be done to support the health needs of Indigenous peoples in Canada, including honouring and making room for traditional healing practices.

"We have lived through lots of trauma through the course of our history and we have surmounted it" (Rowe).

- Manawan Chief Paul-Emile Ottawa

Indigenous people have been dealing with racism and its impacts on their health for hundreds of years. They have demonstrated enormous resilience and resourcefulness in the face of exclusion and marginalization.

Now it is time to tell Canadians a new story about the strength and vitality of traditional Indigenous concepts about health and well being. We can all learn and benefit from Indigenous approaches to health and healing, which are holistically grounded in their inherent connection to the land.

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Table of Contents

Preface..................................................................................v

Terminology..........................................................................vi

Introduction...........................................................................1-3

Medicine Wheel.....................................................................4-7

Medicine Wheel & Traditional Healing.................................8

Gifts of the Land.....................................................................9

Medicinal Plants.....................................................................10-18

Arctic Plants............................................................................19

Non-Plant Based Treatments..................................................20

Protocols.................................................................................21-22

Traditional Healing Practices.................................................23

Traditional Healing Practices & Reconciliation.....................26

Conclusion...............................................................................27

Acknowledgments...................................................................28

Bibliography.............................................................................29-35

Preface

This book was created as my final project in Aboriginal Studies 30. The guiding question for this project is:

How is a relationship with the land essential to Indigenous culture and self-determination?

This book connects to the guiding question because it highlights the ways in which land is integral to healing and wellness within Indigenous cultures. The land is connected to all aspects of life and identity for Indigenous peoples, which means the land is essential in supporting emotional, spiritual, physical and mental health. Therefore, this book aims to highlight the interconnectedness between the land and health, wellness and healing for Indigenous peoples.

"The Land is very important to Indigenous peoples, when the land is sick we are sick, as Indigenous peoples we see the Land as a relation and need to treat it with respect. The major difference that I see when it comes to health and wellness that differs from Western European understandings is the connections to land and relations and how that shapes our overall health, as I said before when the land is sick we are sick, this is something that is very different from a Western perspective" (Lar-Son).

Terminology

Indigenous

The term “Indigenous” is used throughout this book to describe peoples and groups who consider themselves to be related to and/or having a historical connection with the First Peoples whose societies existed in what is now called Canada. I acknowledge that there exists a rich diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada today who have different and specific name preferences. I aim to respect this preference when applicable throughout the text.

Traditional Healing

Health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating Indigenous healing and wellness. This includes ceremonies; plant, animal or mineral-based medicines; energetic therapies; or physical techniques (First Nations Health Authority).

Traditional Knowledge

Knowledge, skills, and practices that are developed, sustained, and passed from generation to generation within a community, often forming part of its cultural or spiritual identity (WIPO).

Introduction

One of the essential understandings of the Aboriginal Studies 30 course is:

“the relationship of Indigenous people to the land is essential to their way of life, and efforts to restore and preserve that relationship are ongoing” (ADLC Aboriginal Studies 30, “Learning Outcomes,” Theme II).

This book attempts to teach others about the importance of the land to Indigenous peoples' way of life and how this connects to Indigenous beliefs about health and healing. Traditionally, Indigenous peoples aim to live in harmony with the land and environment, which supports a holistic approach to how the land supports mental, physical and spiritual well being. Therefore, this book presents information about the significance of the Medicine Wheel in Indigenous cultures and how it represents the interrelatedness of all aspects of life with the land, which provides a foundation for beliefs about health and wellness. This book also describes plants traditionally used by Indigenous peoples for medicinal purposes and the ways in which traditional medicines and therapies are applied. Through a description of various Indigenous traditional medicines and healing customs, the hope is that non-Indigenous peoples can gain a greater understanding of and respect for Indigenous traditional healing practices and beliefs as well as a greater appreciation for the rich cultural knowledge that is the foundation of diverse Indigenous cultures.

Western ethnocentric attitudes have, for hundreds of years, in Canada imposed a health system on Indigenous peoples that was believed to be superior to traditional Indigenous healing practices. This has led to terrible consequences for Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples suffer from health problems at much higher rates compared to non-Indigenous peoples. This includes higher mortality rates for children and adults, higher rates of infectious disease such as COVID-19 as well as diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health).

We only have to look at the high rates of Indigenous suicide, which are between three and nine times higher for Indigenous peoples than for non-Indigenous peoples to see that mental health issues also plague Indigenous communities as a result of assimilation policies such as the Residential School System, which tried to destroy Indigenous cultures and caused inter-generational trauma that many Indigenous peoples continue to suffer from (Canadian Mental Health Association). The integral connection Indigenous peoples have with the land has shaped their way of life and their relationships with each other and the environment. However, since the land was taken away from Indigenous peoples in Canada, this has impacted their ability to pass down traditional, land based healing practices.

The passing down of traditional knowledge such as beliefs and practices about traditional healing is essential to support self-determination and develop a strong and positive sense of self-identity to support the overall health and well being of Indigenous peoples. Fostering connections to Indigenous identity and culture has been identified as an important factor in promoting health and well-being (Allan & Smylie). Indigenous people have sacred ties to the land that sustain and heal them. They do not believe they own the land, instead, they have a responsibility to take care of the land and the whole natural environment. This connection with the land permeates every activity and, as a result, Indigenous peoples have tremendous knowledge about and understanding of the natural world and its patterns. Non-Indigenous people can benefit from listening to this knowledge in order to support their own health issues as well as the health and well being of the environment, which supports all peoples on earth.

Greater recognition of and integration of Indigenous health practices within Canada's public health care system will not only help improve the overall health of Indigenous populations in Canada, but can serve to reduce discrimination against Indigenous peoples as non-Indigenous peoples learn about the beliefs and values Indigenous peoples hold regarding wellness and healing. The hope is that non-Indigenous peoples who read this book will develop a better understanding of and respect for the holistic and land based approach Indigenous peoples take to health.