“Living off the Land”: How Subsistence Promotes Well-Being and Resilience among Indigenous Peoples of the Southeastern United States

Abstract

Indigenous peoples of the United States tend to experience the most severe social, behavioral, and physical health disparities of any ethnic minority. This critical ethnography uses the framework of historical oppression, resilience, and transcendence to examine indigenous peoples’ perspectives on and experiences with subsistence living, investigating how subsistence living may contribute to well-being and resilience by promoting physical exercise, a healthy diet, and psychological health. Thematic analysis of data from 436 participants across two southeastern tribes reveals three overarching themes: fostering fond memories and family bonding through “living off the land,” enabling experiential intergenerational teaching and learning, and promoting resourcefulness and offsetting economic marginalization. Results indicate that subsistence is an important avenue to promote sustainable and organic approaches to health and well-being within indigenous communities by facilitating positive nutrition and diet, exercise, and subjective well-being.

Happy without money: Minimally monetized societies can exhibit high subjective well-being

“…Thus, if respondents rarely felt a significant lack of social support, they would be less likely to list social factors as important sources of happiness. Consistent with this, traditional subsistence practices have been shown to increase kin and kith solidarity as the entire community contributes to these activities, and connect contemporary communities to cultural traditions and their elders [ 47 ]. In contrast, with increased monetization people often spend more time working, away from their close relatives, and engage in uncertain social interactions with strangers rather than in their small, close-knit subsistence communities [ 48 , 49 ].…”

Historic and Contemporary Environmental Justice Issues among Native Americans in the Gulf Coast Region of the United States

“…Climate change, in particular, undermines the important spiritual, social, emotional and economic relationship that connects many Native American cultural systems with the land, in addition to undermining Indigenous healing traditions (Billiot, 2017;Vinyeta et al, 2016). Loss of land also impedes the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge (Burnette et al, 2018(Burnette et al, , 2019Fitzgerald, 2015). Indigenous food sovereignty is also negatively impacted when subsistence food practices are no longer available, which is harmful for Indigenous health (Burnette et al, 2018;Billiot, 2017;Billiot & Parfait, 2019;Whyte, 2016).…”

“…Loss of land also impedes the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge (Burnette et al, 2018(Burnette et al, , 2019Fitzgerald, 2015). Indigenous food sovereignty is also negatively impacted when subsistence food practices are no longer available, which is harmful for Indigenous health (Burnette et al, 2018;Billiot, 2017;Billiot & Parfait, 2019;Whyte, 2016).…”

“…From the lens of the FHORT, the ability to maintain traditional forms of subsistence living demonstrates tribal members' resilience. By preventing tribal members from continuing to engage in such practices, the BP oil spill acts as a risk factor for wellness, leading to negative physical and mental health outcomes (Burnette et al, 2018). One participant noted increased price: "The price of shrimp was sky high.…”

“…An important component of Indigenous community resilience is Indigenous cultural knowledge, values, and practices (Kirmayer et al, 2009). Connection to land and the environment are fundamental dimensions of this cultural resilience, and loss of land harms the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge (Burnette et al, 2018;2019;Billiot & Parfait, 2019;Krimayer et al, 2009). Concerns that loss of land and being forced to relocate would undermine tribal identity were frequent worries among participants.…”