Fostering Indigenous Medicines and Approaches within Mainstream Healthcare Systems: A Global Scoping Review

Indigenous medicine is a right outlined in the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous people on average experience poorer health incomes than non-Indigenous people, and colonization has contributed greatly to this reality. Globally, Indigenous medicine is commonly utilized, however there has not been widespread integration with mainstream healthcare systems. Oftentimes Indigenous medicine is unregulated, lacking funding and research. This review aims to provide a large-scale overview of situations where Indigenous medicine is being fostered within mainstream healthcare systems internationally. The objective of this scoping review is to examine fostering of Indigenous medicines and approaches within mainstream healthcare systems. Literature which includes Indigenous medicinal information (techniques, medicine, patient care, healing method, ingredient, plant etc.) will be included. The Indigenous Medicine is currently or previously has been recognized as a component of the mainstream health care system. Articles in English (to be determined during screening) will be included. Accepted articles include peer reviewed literature, reviews, case studies, grey literature, commentaries and community research reports. Medline, CINHAL, and Scopus will be searched along with Indigenous specific databases and the WHO Index Medicus to capture peer reviewed publications and grey literature

Weaving Promising Practices to Transform Indigenous Population Health and Wellness Reporting by Indigenizing Indicators in First Nations Health

In Canada and across the globe, indicators play a fundamental role in measuring, tracking, and reporting on the overall health of the population. Mainstream population health indicators used to measure the health and well-being of First Nations peoples are constrained by the Western biomedical paradigm which focuses solely on illness and disease. These indicators are limited and fail to capture aspects of cultural, spiritual, and interconnected aspects of Indigenous health such as spirit, ceremony, and the connection to land. To advance First Nations self-determination in the healthcare system, it is essential for Indigenous narratives and knowledges to thrive in population health data and reporting. Five promising practices are shared to guide the development of First Nations health and wellness indicators and reporting: (1) be culturally relevant and centred on First Nations worldviews on health and wellness (2) must honour Indigenous knowledges and methods; (3) must involve respectful relationships & meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples’; (4) “Nothing about us, without us”- Indigenous leadership and self-determination at all stages of indicator development; and (5) taking a strength-based approach & contextualizing indicators within historical, socio-political contexts. The co-development of indicators between the [First Nations Health Organization] and the [Office of the Executive Health Officer] in the Province of [Name of Canadian Province] are discussed as promising practices in action. Celebrating the strength and resilience of First Nations health which is required to pave a new way forward in Indigenous grounded population health

Letsemot, “Togetherness”: Exploring How Connection to Land, Water, and Territory Influences Health and Wellness with First Nations Knowledge Keepers and Youth in the Fraser Salish Region of British Columbia

Connection to land has been identified as a central determinant of the health and well-being of First Nations in Canada. The wholistic, interconnected, spiritual, and sacred relationship that many Indigenous Peoples have with the land is an integral part of strengthening physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health and well-being. However, there has been little empirical evidence on how to assess, measure, and report on connection to land for First Nations Peoples. Using a Two- Eyed Seeing approach, this study explores what connection to land, water, and territory means for health and wellness for First Nations in the Fraser Salish region in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Data were collected through a sharing circle with five First Nations Knowledge Keepers and five youth from Stó:lō communities as part of a land-based gathering in Stó:lō territory. Three themes were identified: (a) “the spirits of the land, water, and territory are within us”: the intersection of cultural identity, spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and health and well-being; (b) letsemot, “togetherness”: relationality; and (c) disruptions and new ways of living. For Stó:lō Peoples, connection to the land is an integral component of health and well-being. Connection to land was found to strongly influence physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of health while also intersecting with Stó:lō cultural identity, spirituality, ancestral knowledge, and ways of living. The findings can be used to inform the development of an indicator for connection to land, water, and territory as a measurement of ecological wellness for the First Nations Population Health and Wellness Agenda in BC