Tag Archives: Healthcare

Post #16: The Red Road Approach

The Red Road Approach is a traditional Ojibwe approach to health and wellness that I came across while researching for my paper. I’ve included an article below that identifies the origins of this approach and background on its originator, Manidoogekek.

Learning about this traditional indigenous approach to healing is valuable, I think, for not only those who face mental illnesses such as depression and substance abuse, but also healthcare students, researchers, and practitioners.

To summarize what this approach entails, here’s an excerpt from the paper I originally heard of The Red Road Approach:

“The Red Road approach by Gene Thin Elk uses the medicine wheel as a holistic, traditional therapeutic method of healing from abuses, alcholism, historical grief and trauma…[It also] utilizes the Healing Circle process…to evoke emotional discharge which allows participants to let go of trauma.” (Hill, p. 35-36)

References:

Hill, L.P. (2008) Understanding indigenous Canadian traditional health and healing. (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2049&context=etd

The Red Road Project. (2016) About us. Retrieved from www.redroadproject.ca/profile

Post 13: “First Nations Health Authority seeks qualified nurses!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ4Z6OeET-I

Inspiring and positive video advertising The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). I explained in a past post a little bit about this organization, but this particular video gives more of a human feel to the topic, one which tells stories from the front lines of nursing in remote First Nations communities in British Columbia.

This may be a better introduction to the FNHA than their website, as the stories told touch upon many of the themes explored in this course. It may be useful in terms of nursing curriculum to generate interest in these important topics in the healthcare field.

Post 12: Medical experiments on residential school children

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2672669073/

In this podcast, Ian Mosby (a food and nutrition historian) describes some of the experiments conducted upon Indigenous children in the residential school system. These are things which were exposed also by CBC rather than the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It’s also disturbing and shameful that these were experiments that happened after the conclusion of the Nuremberg war crimes trails, where Nazi doctors convicted of these crimes against humanity were imprisoned.

Some of these experiments led to the deaths of Indigenous children.

From the podcast: “I think if we really want to understand the mindset behind the residential school system, and also Canada’s…’Indian Policies.’ It was a dehumanization of Indigenous people. And they viewed indigenous people as somehow less than the rest of the Canadian population. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to watch students be so malnourished across the country—it wasn’t just the experimental schools where they were malnourished, it was across the country. And yet they stood idly by while generations of students had their health damaged by malnutrition.”

This would be too heavy a topic for primary students, but if done correctly could be integrated into secondary school curricula, and of course tertiary education.

Other resources:

Academic article from the podcast interviewee: https://hssh.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/hssh/article/viewFile/40239/36424

CBC article on the topic: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/residential-school-nutrition-experiments-explained-to-kenora-survivors-1.3171557

Ear experiments done on residential school children: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/ear-experiments-done-on-kids-at-kenora-residential-school-1.1343992

“’We do know that there were research initiatives that were conducted with regard to medicines that were used ultimately to treat the Canadian population. Some of those medicines were tested in aboriginal communities and residential schools before they were utilized publicly.’

Sinclair said some of those medicines developed were then withheld from the same aboriginal children they were originally tested on.” (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/aboriginal-children-used-in-medical-tests-commissioner-says-1.1318150)

Post 11: Dr. Carrie Bourassa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2YFQ6tACZE

In this video, Dr. Bourassa (bio below) explains how she approaches healthcare research with Indigenous communities. Her approach to this research is “formative” and “asset” based, rather than “deficit.” Dr. Bourassa also explores concepts such as cultural safety and self-determination.

These are all important concepts to consider in conceptualizing Indigenous healthcare research and practice. Still in the beginning stages, the approach explained by Dr. Bourassa promises to bridge the gap between Indigenous peoples and healthcare systems in Canada.

Useful for higher education. I can’t see an application below tertiary.

I’ll be using this video to better frame my approach to my paper.

Dr. Bourassa’s bio (from YouTube video):

“Chair in Indigenous & Northern Health and Senior Scientist at Health Sciences North Research Institute, and the Scientific Director of the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Carrie spoke to over 100 attendees about the state of Indigenous and northern health in Canada and the inequalities that Indigenous populations continue to face. Carrie shared her personal story and provided insight into how HSN and HSNRI can create a safe culture for our Indigenous patients.”

Dr. Bourassa is part of these two organizations/initiatives:

http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50716.html