Indigenous Health – Historical Perspectives

In order to understand the contemporary state of Indigenous health in Canada, it is also necessary to look to the past. This section will briefly describe Indigenous health in four sections: Indigenous Wellness Values, Indigenous Health Pre-contact, Impact of Settlement on Indigenous Health, and Impact of Settler Colonialism on Indigenous Women’s Heart Health. This is a broad view of health history focused on the general conditions of Indigenous people during each period and the common experiences and values of Indigenous people. While Indigenous traditions and health practices vary from nation to nation, there are also many commonalities such as the value of personal responsibility for health, the roles of healers or traditional practitioners, and a focus on wholism and balance (in terms of one’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self) as a guide and indicator of wellness. Although diversity exists among various tribal groups; spirituality, and kinship are key socio-cultural factors related to the health of Indigenous people.

Oral histories confirm the quality of Indigenous health pre-contact, but as Europeans came to trade and eventually violently settle Turtle Island (North America) many Indigenous practices were suppressed and banned.

Additionally, the spread of diseases, dispossession, starvation, and later the residential school and reserve systems all contributed to the loss of Indigenous lives and ways of being. The overall negative inter-generational impact of these events is still felt in Indigenous communities and informs current social determinants of health for Indigenous people. As James Daschuk argues in the opening of Clearing the Plains:

This section will provide an overview on the foundational concepts of Indigenous wellness and their roots in pre-contact societies, how Indigenous health has changed over the course of colonization, and key historical events which continue to impact Indigenous health in Canada.

Recommended reading on these topics can be found in the resources provided at the end of the section and in the references.