Discussion questions 6

Definitions

What is the causes of cause in the context of Indigenous health and illness?

• Colonialism → process intended to entrench social, political, and economic determinants that benefit white settler societies, to the detriment of Indigenous lands, waters, cultures, communities, families, and individuals

  • It has been linked to adverse Indigenous health outcomes (ex: high rates of infant mortality, reduced life expectancy…)

What is colonialism?

• The takeover of territory, appropriation of material resources, exploitation of labour and interference with political and cultural structures of another territory or nation

What is cultural genocide?

• The systematic destruction of traditions, values, language, and other elements that make one group of people distinct from another

  → Kills a group’s identity

What is the residential school system?

• A network of government-funded and church-run boarding schools with the purpose of assimilating Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture and civilizing them

What’s colonial trauma?

• Trauma arising from the direct and indirect impacts of colonization such as the banning of cultural practices, policies and institutions of assimilation, and loss of culture

  → Negative determinant of Indigenous health (psychological + behavioural + medical)

  • It’s a term that englobes the complex (effects at many levels), continuous (500+ years of violence), collective, cumulative (throughout generations), and compounding experiences of colonial trauma

What are the intergenerational impacts of residential schools

• Residential schools removed children from their families, communities, languages, and traditions, thereby losing their identity

• At these schools, Indigenous students suffered neglect and abuse, as they were punished for speaking their native languages or practicing their cultures

  • It led to adverse impacts like the inability to have a family unit or be a part of their community, losing their language and culture, and mental health struggles, which all last throughout generations

What is contemporary colonialism?

• Environmental destruction of Indigenous territories facilitated by state governments and instituted by large multinational corporations

  • Continues to remove Indigenous peoples from their land and prevent them from living their knowledge

What is a post-traumatic stress response?

• It’s a response to colonial trauma

What is cultural competency and cultural safe care?

• Cultural competency, sensitivity, and safety are all important to deal with Indigenous Peoples and their colonial trauma

  → Includes decolonizing healthcare: acknowledging and addressing the ways in which healthcare systems have been shaped by colonial legacies, including the marginalization and exploitation of Indigenous and other marginalized communities

  • Ex:

    • Engaging with Indigenous knowledge and practices

    • Supporting Indigenous-led initiatives

    • Advocating for policy changes

    • Promoting cultural humility and safety