Indigenous Peoples In Canada Research Articles

Community collaboration in the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Examples of How Remote First Nations in Northern Ontario Managed the Pandemic

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was believed that Indigenous peoples in Canada would be disproportionately affected due to inequities across social determinants of health as a result of the ongoing processes of colonization. High levels of overcrowding, higher burden of chronic disease, reduced access to clean drinking water, healthcare, and food security in many rural and remote First Nations across northern Canada increased vulnerability to COVID-19. In the Nishnawbe Aski Region of northern Ontario, data from the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority indicates that First Nations communities were able to limit COVID -19 infection and had an overall fatality rate that was lower than the general Canadian population. The focus of this research was to analyze public health data, media reports, and research to determine how the pandemic impacted First Nations throughout northern Ontario. The research highlights that as a direct result of rapid and strength-based responses, First Nations in Northern Ontario have managed the pandemic with limited serious illness, hospitalizations, and fatalities.

INDIGENOUS CLASS PROCEEDINGS IN CANADA. AN EXAMINATION OF THE CONVERGENCE OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AND CLASS ACTIONS IN THE CANADIAN COMMON LAW SYSTEM

The foundations of contemporary Indigenous relations in Canada have been laid by class action lawyers who foresaw the potential for correcting, acknowledging and addressing historical wrongs. Decades of persistence by Indigenous leaders and collateral work by lawyers compelled the Canadian government, the Canadian public and its major religious and charitable institutions to face their pasts. Class and mass action lawsuits are indispensable to lawyers seeking to advance claims that recognize the systemic oppression of Indigenous people beyond individual harms. Respected class action lawyer Steven L. Cooper, KC, outlines more than 250 years of this legal history that has defined the unique status of Indigenous Canadians, from recognizing royal proclamations as they relate to land claims to settlements that have seen hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people compensated for harms inflicted in residential schools and hospitals.

Physical pain among Indigenous Peoples in Canada: a scoping review.

Pain is a multifaceted experience shaped by various factors including context of pain, previous life events, and ongoing ethnocultural circumstances. Moreover, the definition of pain is inconsistent across cultures. Western medicine views physical pain (e.g., associated with a bone fracture) and nonphysical mental pain (e.g., depression) as two distinct conditions. Indigenous perspectives are often more wholistic, encompassing mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical hurt. The subjective nature of pain invites ample opportunity for discrimination in both its assessment and management. As such, it is important to consider Indigenous perspectives of pain in research and clinical practice. To investigate which aspects of Indigenous pain knowledge are currently considered by Western research, we conducted a scoping review of the literature on pain in Indigenous Peoples of Canada. In June 2021, we searched nine databases and downloaded 8,220 papers after removal of duplicates. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and full-text articles. Seventy-seven papers were included in the analysis. Using grounded theory, five themes emerged: pain measures/scales (n = 7), interventions (n = 13), pharmaceuticals (n = 17), pain expression/experiences (n = 45), and pain conditions (n = 70). This scoping review shows that there is a paucity of research on pain measurement in Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This finding is concerning in light of numerous studies reporting that Indigenous Peoples experience their pain as ignored, minimized, or disbelieved. Furthermore, a clear disconnect emerged between pain expression in Indigenous Peoples and assessment in medical professionals. We hope that this scoping review will serve to translate current knowledge to other non-Indigenous academics and to initiate meaningful collaboration with Indigenous partners. Future research led by Indigenous academics and community partners is critically needed to better address pain needs in Canada.

Understanding conversion to Jehovism among Indigenous peoples: The case of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg

Although present in Aboriginal communities since the early 1930s, Jehovism among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States has not yet been the subject of any published ethnographic, sociological, or historical study. This article presents the result of the first ethnographic study with Jehovah’s Witnesses among Aboriginal peoples in Canada. From an online field of research spanning over a period of 10 months with Anishinabe (Algonquin) Witnesses from Kitigan Zibi (Outaouais, Quebec), I explore the motivations behind the decision to become a Jehovah’s Witness for the latter. I also show that the first conversions in Kitigan Zibi are mainly due to a dual historical context that created a fertile ground for conversion. Finally, I propose the concept of ‘small-scale conversion’ as another way to conceive the intergenerational transmission of religion.

Indigenous inclusion in the Canadian therapeutic platform trial for multidomain interventions to prevent dementia

AbstractBackgroundThe Canadian Therapeutic Platform Trial for Multidomain Interventions to Prevent Dementia (CTU) is Canada’s largest national dementia research initiative, evaluating the effectiveness of a web‐based multimodal program in reducing dementia risk among older adults. To date, CTU has not included Indigenous perspectives, culture, or context in the development of the intervention or study design, and therefore does not reflect the priorities and needs of Indigenous communities.MethodIn consultation with Indigenous community partners, a content analysis of CTU methodologies is currently underway to identify areas for improved cultural relevancy within the program’s modules.ResultBased on findings from the content analysis, an Indigenous adaptation of the program will be developed and piloted in Indigenous communities in Canada. General suggestions on how to improve CTU from a cultural perspective will also be provided to inform future CTU trials.ConclusionThis community‐driven research will help shape current and future dementia prevention trials and ensure cultural relevancy in the development of community‐based preventative strategies. Further, it will help ensure that culturally safe and trauma‐informed dementia prevention tools are available to Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Exploration of Existing Integrated Mental Health and Addictions Care Services for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Due to the persistent impacts of colonialism, Indigenous peoples of Canada face disproportionate rates of mental health and substance use disorders, which are often insufficiently addressed by Eurocentric 'mainstream' mental health and addiction services. The need to better address Indigenous mental health has led to Indigenous mental health integrated care (hereafter integrated care): programs using both Indigenous and Western practices in their care delivery. This research describes the common lessons, disjunctures, and solutions experienced by existing integrated care programs for Indigenous adults across Canada. It reveals the best practices of integrated care for programs, and contributes to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action #20 and #22. This study, co-designed by an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper and Practitioner, explores the programs' relational processes through interviews with key informants. The data was analyzed in consultation with Indigenous collaborators to highlight Indigenous values and interpretations, and knowledge co-production. In highlighting the complexity of integrated care, study results show the lessons of 'Real Commitment to Communities and Community Involvement,' and tensions and disjunctures of 'Culture as Healing,' 'People-focused vs. Practitioner-focused Programs,' 'Community-oriented vs. Individual-oriented Programs,' and 'Colonial Power Dynamics in Integrated Care.' The discussion explores why tensions and disjunctures exist, and suggests how to move forward using integrated care's lessons and the concept of IND-equity. Ultimately, Indigenous-led partnerships are paramount to integrated care because they leverage Indigenous knowledge and approaches to achieve health equity within integrated care.

Indigenous innovation and organizational change towards equitable higher education systems: the Canadian experience

Indigenous knowledges are largely absent from higher education institutions’ efforts to pursue excellence and innovation. Grounded in decolonization literature and institutional theory, this article examines how Indigenous peoples of Canada have engaged with innovation discourses in higher education. Through document analysis of 15 research-intensive Canadian universities and conversation with 13 Indigenous peoples, the article analyses political, functional, and normative pressures associated with Indigenous knowledges shaping Canadian universities. The article demonstrates how Indigenous groups have been able to push post-secondary institutions towards a normative shift in organizational structure. The article also shows how approaching innovation from decolonizing perspectives can provide a way forward for equitable higher education systems, advocating for re-imagining the dominant market economy, and focusing on learning from Indigenous worldviews that centre around reciprocity, ecological sustainability, and connection to land.

Prevalence, Correlates, and Sequelae of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) among Indigenous Canadians: Intersections of Ethnicity, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a severe and concerning public-health problem globally, but some children are at higher risk of experiencing it. The harms caused by colonization and particularly the inter-generational legacy of residential schools would presumably increase the vulnerability of Indigenous children in former British colonies. Among 282 Indigenous participants in Canada recruited from Prime Panels, CSA was reported by 35% of boys, 50% of girls, and 57% of trans and gender non-conforming participants. These rates are substantially higher than global meta-analytic estimates (7.6% of boys and 18.0% of girls). There was evidence of intersectionality based on socioeconomic status. CSA was associated with a variety of other indicators of negative childhood experiences and significantly predicted numerous negative outcomes in adulthood, including mental-health issues (e.g., PTSD), unemployment, and criminal legal-system involvement. Sexual abuse of Indigenous Canadian children is a public-health crisis, and layers of marginalization (e.g., gender, social class) exacerbate this risk. Trauma-informed services to address the harms of colonization are severely needed, in line with recommendations from Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Three Sisters: the first three Beatitudes as guiding an embodied response to the discovery of the unmarked graves at residential schools across Canada in 2021

ABSTRACT Using the Indigenous Three Sisters gardening technique as a guiding metaphor, this paper will explore a wholly embodied response to the disturbing headlines of the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential schools across Canada in 2021. Just as the Indigenous Three Sisters cooperate together for mutual flourishing, the Beatitudinal trio of humility, grief, and meekness will be promoted as characteristics of a wholly embodied response to this specific issue and the large issue it represents, which is an oppressive and troubled historic relationship between Indigenous and white settlers. This paper will use Terry A. Veiling’s double exegetical approach of ‘on earth as it is in heaven’ as the underlying practical theology framework. Perspectives of various Indigenous Canadian theologians along with hopeful stories of white settler Canadian church leaders whose performative and incarnational responses resemble the three sisterly Beatitudes will be included throughout. I see the flourishing of the Three Sisters together as a helpful and practical metaphor for the Canadian church as we consider how humility, grief, and meekness can help us neighbour well with Indigenous people.

Reconciliatory Federalism

In 2015, Canada saw a Liberal government form under the young and energetic leadership of Justin Trudeau. After a Conservative government under Stephen Harper, Trudeau set out to bring a ‘fresh and exciting’ vision of Canada that prioritized reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Thus “reconciliatory federalism” was born. Since then, discussions between Indigenous leaders and the federal government have increased exponentially, yet the undertones of Canada’s colonial history still play an evidentiary role in Canadian federalism. This paper seeks to evaluate Trudeau’s “reconciliatory federalism” in relation to the scholarly literature pertaining to Indigenous self-determination and Canadian federalism. Moreover, using definitions of Kiera Ladner’s treaty federalism and Martin Papillon’s multi-level governance as a theoretical framework, I seek to investigate if Trudeau’s vision of reconciliatory federalism can bridge the two scholarly camps together. While treaty federalism argues for a top-down approach to establish a nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state, multi-level governance argues for a bottom-up approach in which Indigenous peoples find multiple avenues within the existing federalist structure to integrate into. Using the examples of the Wet’sewet’en Cree First Nation and the Manitoba Métis Federation, I seek to contextualize the implications of reconciliatory federalism in relation to the two scholarly camps.

A qualitative study exploring access barriers to abortion services among Indigenous Peoples in Canada

ObjectiveThis paper reports on findings from our exploratory qualitative study that aims to advance knowledge around access to and experiences with abortion services among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Study designWe applied an Indigenous methodology to engage with 15 Indigenous Peoples across Canada utilizing a conversational interview method. Our study was informed by an Indigenous Advisory Committee consisting of front-line service providers working in the area of abortion service access and/ or support across Canada. ResultsWe conducted conversations from September and November 2021. Participants identified with Métis, Cree, Dene, Inuit, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Mi'kmaq nations, across nine provinces and territories. Participants spoke to six themes encompassing challenges and potential solutions around abortion access experiences among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. These included (1) logistical barriers, (2) poor treatment, (3) stigma, (4) impacts of colonialism on attitudes towards abortion, (5) traditional knowledge, and (6) follow-up care and support. ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that Indigenous Peoples experience abortion access barriers that are different than non-Indigenous Canadians, and that these barriers are closely linked to colonialism. ImplicationsIndigenous knowledges and practices that honor reproductive choice that pre-dates settler colonialism, must be brought forward into today to enhance the quality of abortion care.

Inside a Métis Community: Space, Collective Trauma, and the Impact of Colonialism

With Katherena Vermette’s novel The Break (2016) as a case study, this paper analyses a narrative that portrays an attempt of an Indigenous Canadian community to reclaim its voice, identity, and space. The plot is centred around the reconnection with land and culture, while tackling the complicated topic of epistemic violence inside Métis Canadian communities. The novel’s title already frames the narrative and the importance of space in this story and in Indigenous cultures: indeed, the ‘break’ is the name of the land where the sexual assault takes place. This word is used to symbolize and anticipate the ‘brokenness’ that will define the narration: sexual violence creates a crack inside an individual, but also in society. On a more metaphorical level, the ‘break’ symbolizes a fracture that Indigenous communities have experienced in their personal and cultural histories and that has led to intergenerational cycles of violence. It is a metaphor of how Indigenous spaces and cultures have been shattered and violated, both physically and symbolically, by white colonialism. Throughout the story the characters are confronting the epistemic violence consequential to colonialism that has created a division within and between them, while they try to reunite with their own identities and one another through acts of ‘resurgence.’ Despite The Break is highly characterized by trauma and ‘brokenness’, this paper highlights how its powerful narrative deals with the possibility of healing from intergenerational trauma and of breaking cycles of violence that have been imposed on Indigenous communities.

Substance use and treatment among indigenous peoples in Canada: a conversation with Timothy Dueck, MSW, PhD(c), RSW

Substance use and treatment among indigenous peoples in Canada: a conversation with Timothy Dueck, MSW, PhD(c), RSW

A national-level examination of First Nations peoples' mental health data: Predicting mental well-being from social determinants of health using the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.

A history of colonization and assimilation have resulted in social, economic, and political disparities for Indigenous people in Canada. Decades of discriminatory policies (e.g., the Indian Act, the Residential School System) have led to numerous health and mental health inequities, which have been intergenerationally maintained. Four main social determinants of health (i.e., income, education, employment, and housing) disproportionately influence the health of Indigenous peoples. These four social determinants have also been used within the Community Well-Being (CWB) index, which assesses the socio-economic wellbeing of a community. This study sought to extend previous research by assessing how specific indicators of CWB predict self-reported mental wellbeing within First Nations populations across Canada in a national dataset with more recent data. This study utilized the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, which includes data on the social and economic conditions of First Nations people living off reserve aged 15 years and over. Results from a factorial ANOVA indicated that perceptions of income security, housing satisfaction, higher education, and employment are associated with increased self-reported mental health among First Nations individuals living off-reserve. These results support the idea that individual mental health interventions on their own are not enough; instead, broader social interventions aimed at addressing inequities in various social determinants of health (e.g., housing first initiatives) are needed to better support individual wellbeing.

Decolonization the what, whyand how: A treatieson Indigenous nursing knowledge.

Decolonization the what, whyand how: A treatieson Indigenous nursing knowledge.

Dietary Patterns of Off-Reserve Indigenous Peoples in Canada and Their Association with Chronic Conditions

Nationally representative nutrition surveys (Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.2, Nutrition 2004 and 2015) were used to examine dietary patterns and their association with socioeconomic/sociodemographic factors and chronic conditions in off-reserve Indigenous population in Canada. A cluster analysis was used to identify dietary patterns (DPs), and the Nutrient Rich Food Index (NRF 9.3) was used as the diet quality score and stratified by age/gender groups. In 2004 (n = 1528), the dominant DPs among Indigenous adults (age = 41 ± 2.3) were "Mixed" (mean NRF = 450 ± 12) and "Unhealthy" among men (mean NRF = 426 ± 18), "Fruits" among women (mean NRF = 526 ± 29), and "High-Fat/High-Sugar" among children (age = 10.2 ± 0.5) (mean NRF = 457 ± 12). In 2015 (n = 950), the dominant DPs were "Unhealthy" (mean NRF = 466 ± 6), "Mixed" (mean NRF = 485 ± 21), Healthy-Like (mean NRF = 568 ± 37), and "Mixed" (mean NRF = 510 ± 9) among adults (age = 45.6 ± 2.2), men, women, and children (age = 10.9 ± 0.3) respectively. The majority of Indigenous peoples had the "Unhealthy" DP with a low diet quality, which may contribute to a high prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases. The income level and smoking status among adults and physical inactivity among children were recognized as important factors that may be associated with the dietary intake of off-reserve Indigenous population.

Exogenous triiodothyronine application increases survivorship in larval lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens): Molecular and endocrine regulation of appetite, growth, and stress axes

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are critically endangered across their native Canadian range and thus conservation aquaculture is practiced to restock historically decimated wild populations. However, as in many aquaculture settings, episodes of mass mortality occur throughout larval development and are often linked to periods of dietary transition. Thyroid hormones play a critical role in larval development and metamorphosis, including the transition from endogenous to exogenous feeding, and thus have been utilized in aquaculture to promote hatch rate, growth, and survivability in multiple fish species. The objective of the present study was to determine whether exogenous application of the biologically active thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3), could improve lake sturgeon growth and survival during early ontogeny in two distinct rearing environments; tumbling jars representing hatchery conditions or egg mats representing more natural conditions. Waterborne application of 3 ppm T3 during fertilization improved growth and survival of lake sturgeon during the first month of life, with greater effects observed in the egg mat environment. Concomitant increases in mRNA abundance of genes involved in appetite regulation (e.g., neuropeptide Y and orexin) and somatic growth (e.g., insulin-like growth factor 1) support accelerated growth of T3 exposed fish through multiple neuroendocrine axes. Following the transition to an exogenous diet, transcript abundance was significantly reduced in the T3 group when compared to controls, perhaps indicating negative feedback regulation. T3 application also caused transient reductions in whole body cortisol content and reduced transcript abundance of genes related to the stress axis later in development; however, no apparent negative consequences were observed as a result. Finally, oral dosing of 3 ppm T3 during an exogenous dietary transition in juvenile lake sturgeon at ∼1.5 months post fertilization significantly increased sturgeon mass, but not survival, indicating that exogenous T3 can contribute to the success of young-of-the-year sturgeon during dietary transitions at multiple life stages. Therefore, these data demonstrate that elevated survivorship and growth associated with exogenous T3 application during fertilization are associated with upregulation of hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid/interrenal, gut-brain, and somatotropic axes. Overall, exogenous T3 application represents a cost-effective way to positively influence lake sturgeon growth and survival at key dietary transitions during early development. Further, this study adds to a growing body of literature demonstrating beneficial effects of thyroid hormone treatment in fish aquaculture.

Italian-Canadian Artists Luigi Nasato and Giovanni Gerometta and the Indigenous Images in Their Mosaic Murals

In addition to presenting a general appreciation of the lives and artistic contributions of Luigi Nasato and Giovanni Gerometta, this article, which is based on live interviews, photographic and written doc­uments, and the artists’ sketches and maquettes, discusses four original mosaic murals designed and executed by the two Italian Canadians in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s for public buildings in Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. The works treat themes of Indigenous life, multiculturalism, communication, and marine transportation. All de­pict Indigenous figures and demonstrate how the traditional art form of mosaic became a vehicle for Canadian content, even if no profound knowledge of Native Canadians or their culture is demonstrated or could have been, given the political and social landscape of Canada then and even now.

When one is the other.

This poem is inspired by Brian Sinclair, an Indigenous Canadian man who passed away in 2008 after waiting 34 hours to be seen in an emergency department in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His death was entirely preventable. He died due in part to groupthink, ignorance, and systemic racism. This poem explores the "othering" that many Indigenous individuals, such as Brian, experience in healthcare settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and validation of the first Canadian Aboriginal syllabics visual acuity chart

ObjectiveTo design and validate the first visual acuity (VA) chart in the Canadian Aboriginal syllabics (CAS) alphabet. DesignProspective, nonrandomized, within-subjects cross-sectional study. ParticipantsTwenty Latin- and CAS-reading subjects were recruited from Ullivik, a residence in Montreal for Inuit patients. MethodsVA charts were made in Latin and in CAS using letters conserved across Inuktitut, Cree, and Ojibwe languages. Fonts were similar in style and size between charts. Each chart was made for a viewing distance of 3 m, with 11 lines of VAs from 20/200 to 20/10. Charts were created using LaTeX to ensure proper formatting and optotype sizing and displayed to scale on an iPad Pro. Each participant had his or her best-corrected VA for each eye measured using the Latin and CAS charts sequentially for a total of 40 eyes. ResultsMedian best-corrected VAs were 0.04 logMAR (range, –0.06–0.54) and 0.07 logMAR (range, 0–0.54) for the Latin and CAS charts, respectively. Median difference between CAS and Latin charts was 0 logMAR (range, –0.08–0.1). Mean ± SD difference between charts was 0.01 ± 0.03 logMAR. Pearson's r correlation between groups was 0.97. The two-tailed paired t test between groups was p = 0.26. ConclusionsWe demonstrate here the first VA chart in Canadian Aboriginal syllabics for Inuktitut-, Ojibwe-, and Cree-reading patients. The CAS VA chart has highly similar measurements to the standard Snellen chart. Testing VA for Indigenous patients in their native alphabet may provide patient-centred care and accurate VA measurements for Indigenous Canadians.