Promoting Aboriginal Health

"Those of us who have worked on the frontline of Aboriginal health for any length of time know that beneath the surface reality of Aboriginal people's poor health outcomes sits a deeper truth. It is about the importance of social and emotional wellbeing, and how this flows from a sense of control over one's own life. Where this is lacking, as it is in so many Aboriginal families and communities, there is instead indifference and despair and a descent into poor lifestyle choices and self-destructive behaviours. Our medical professionals do a great job of prescribing medicines and devising treatment programs but, to fix the root causes of ill-health, we need something more. As Aboriginal people we need to have a sense of agency in our lives, that we are not stray leaves blowing about in the wind. In a word, we need empowerment". Dr. Pat Anderson, Chairperson, the Lowitja Institute, Australia's National Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research.

Now in its second edition, Determinants of Indigenous Peoples’ Health adds current issues in environmental politics to the groundbreaking materials from the first edition. The text is a vibrant compilation of scholarly papers by research experts in the field, reflective essays by Indigenous leaders, and poetry that functions as a creative outlet for healing. This timely edited collection addresses the knowledge gap of the health inequalities unique to Indigenous peoples as a result of geography, colonialism, economy, and biology. In this revised edition, new pieces explore the relationship between Indigenous bodies and the land on which they reside, the impact of resource extraction on landscapes and livelihoods, and death and the complexities of intergenerational family relationships. This volume also offers an updated structure and a foreword by Dr. Evan Adams, Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority. This is a vital resource for students in the disciplines of health studies, Indigenous studies, public and population health, community health sciences, medicine, nursing, and social work who want to broaden their understanding of the social determinants of health. Ultimately, this is a hopeful text that aspires to a future in which Indigenous peoples no longer embody health inequality.

This paper was developed as a part of the National Aboriginal Health Organization's (NAHO) strategic planning activities in order to identify key issues of concern and recommendations for follow-up to improve population health, health promotion, disease prevention, and health protection services and programs for Aboriginal people. Recommendations include engaging in activities and linkages related to knowledge transfer; addressing key promotion/prevention issues; undertaking specific research and developing strategic research partnerships; facilitating the recruitment. retention and training and utlization of Aboriginal health workers; and promoting traditional healing practices.

"This document was developed to support teachers in their implementation of the Aboriginal perspectives included across the curriculum" -- Foreword.

Drawing attention to the ways in which creative practices are essential to the health, well-being, and healing of Indigenous peoples, The Arts of Indigenous Health and Well-Being addresses the effects of artistic endeavour on the “good life”, or mino-pimatisiwin in Cree, which can be described as the balanced interconnection of physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being. In this interdisciplinary collection, Indigenous knowledges inform an approach to health as a wider set of relations that are central to well-being, wherein artistic expression furthers cultural continuity and resilience, community connection, and kinship to push back against forces of fracture and disruption imposed by colonialism. The need for healing—not only individuals but health systems and practices—is clear, especially as the trauma of colonialism is continually revealed and perpetuated within health systems. The field of Indigenous health has recently begun to recognize the fundamental connection between creative expression and well-being. This book brings together scholarship by humanities scholars, social scientists, artists, and those holding experiential knowledge from across Turtle Island to add urgently needed perspectives to this conversation. Contributors embrace a diverse range of research methods, including community-engaged scholarship with Indigenous youth, artists, Elders, and language keepers. The Arts of Indigenous Health and Well-Being demonstrates the healing possibilities of Indigenous works of art, literature, film, and music from a diversity of Indigenous peoples and arts traditions. This book will resonate with health practitioners, community members, and any who recognize the power of art as a window, an entryway to access a healthy and good life.