aboriginal culture Flashcards
A note on terminology
indian is offensive, depending on who you talk to, ask what they prefer
Traditional Knowledge
“There is a place for Indigenous Knowledge. It needs to be
respected for what it is, a science, in its own right, that can work
in concert with western science to solve the complex problems of
the world. However, it must be respected and must be used to
benefit the holders of this knowledge.” – Inuit elders, National Aboriginal Health Organization
misconception of europeans bringing science over
how many languages
5 linginstic group cree, dene, sodo, dakiota, nakoda
2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
the treaties, 6 has a medical clause
Indigenous Ways of Knowing
- Diversity among Aboriginal peoples! • Oral traditions (not writting)
- Community-focused
- Interrelatedness (all living creatures are connected)
- Balance
WHAT DOES ‘HOLISTIC HEALTH’ MEAN TO YOU?
all aspects of health- medicine wheel - 4 seasons everyhting is related to everything- physical, spriritual,(smudging, pipe ceremonie) mental,(limit alcohol drugs) emotional
Contemporary Perceptions of Health
• Graham & Leeseberg Stamler, 2010
• These traditions and beliefs aren’t just relics of the past! • What do Plains Cree people need to obtain optimal health? – Physical health – opportunities for exercise and healthy eating (especially
traditional foods), pain relief – Mental/intellectual health – support for quitting smoking/drugs/alcohol, goal
setting, counselling (especially historical trauma) – Emotional – healthy relationships, feeling valued and connected, stress
management – Spiritual – learning one’s traditional language, participating in traditional
activities such as sweat lodge ceremonies and smudging, connecting with nature
“Two-eyed Seeing”
• Proposed by elders as a way to bridge Indigenous and
Aboriginal ways of knowing
Why is this important?
“Program delivery models which reflect predominately western
European concepts of health and illness have been identified as
largely ineffective in responding to the needs of First Nation’s
people”
(Smye & Browne, 2002).
Historical Context and Related Determinants of
Health
• Colonialism
“Colonialism impacts the health of Aboriginal peoples by producing social,
political and economic inequalities that ‘trickle down’ through the
construction of unfavourable intermediate and proximal determinants” – Reading and Wien, 2009 – European appropriation of land and displacement of Aboriginal peoples – Residential schools – Indian Act – Pass and permit system
– ‘Sixties Scoop’ (kids were abused by adopted parents)
self determinant of health has been seen as the most important determinant of health
force to live on reserve, regulating affairs and everyday life, control culture, get permission to leave by the indian agent, needed permits to sell,
Historical Context and Related Determinants of
Health
- Racism
* Loss of Self-determination
Features of Traditional Diets
• Traditional diets (also known as country foods) have been seen
as an important link between the land and their health
• More than just bannock! • Traditional diets were well balanced (kept people strong and
healthy, and connected with nature) • Sharing food was very important, never wasted food
last residential school close in 1997
150 000 students
vit a: liver, meats
vit c: rose hips, berries
Traditional Diets of the Métis
• Traditionally were skilled hunters, relying on the buffalo
– Also hunted other animals, including deer, elk, moose, and wild birds
and fished if they were near a body of water • Gathered berries and wild plants (e.g. pemmican) • Other common Métis recipes include tourtières, pea soup, and
bannock
• Would make flour from wild turnips and trade with HBC
Traditional Diets of Plains First Nations
• Nomadic
• Relied on the buffalo and prepared it in many different ways
e.g. roasted over fire, boiled in a bag made of the skin from
another animal, jerky, pemmican
• Also included fish, many different wild berries, and wild plants
(e.g. mushrooms, dandelion greens, and prairie turnips) • Food was gathered and stored in birch bark containers
Traditional Diets – Northern SK
• Many Dene people lived in this part of the province
• Importance of caribou in far northern part of what is now SK
– Major food source, caribou was also used to make clothing, shelter, tools, and the materials to make an item central to Dene culture - the drum. – Caribou meat was also often traded at the fur trading posts – Dry meat was made in the spring and summer to carry the people through
times when fresh meat was unavailable
• In the northwest part of the province, the moose and buffalo provided
most of what the Dene needed
• Fish were plentiful and were used to supplement the diet (and feed
the dog teams) • “From summer to fall the people travelled. They travelled all over the
place for buffalo. In the springtime they would build birch canoes to
follow the buffalo along the river.“ - Michel Benjamin
