Promoting Health Resiliency during COVID-19 Disaster: The Relevance of Indigenous Land-based Practice (Preprint)

Abstract

UNSTRUCTURED The COVID-19 pandemic, like a natural disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on the vulnerable portion of society, particularly on Indigenous and visible minority immigrants in Canada. While Indigenous and visible minority people are very diverse and experienced the impact of Covid-19 very differently, both groups have a significant lack of equal access to pandemic resiliency. As a visible minority immigrant family in Indigenous land in Treaty 6 territory, we (as a colour settler family in Indigenous land known as Canada) learned Indigenous land-based education (ILBE) from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-keeper's land-based stories, traditional knowledge, resiliency, and practice. We have been learning and practicing ILBE to develop resiliency during a natural disaster, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a land-based learning as a research methodology for learning health wellness from land. We discussed why ILBE matters for building resiliency, resistance, and self-determination within a family and community; how can it help others? We have seen how COVID-19 has created severe negative impacts on mental and physical health. During the high climate change era, many pandemics are yet to come. However, the ILBE can offer us many opportunities to build our resistance and resiliency through decolonizing our ways of knowing and doing.

Climate change and its impact on the mental health well‐being of Indigenous women in Western cities, Canada

“…Despite these challenges, Indigenous co‐researchers expressed that Indigenous land‐based learning and practice are unique ways of coping strategies to navigate the impacts of climate change on their mental health. Similarly, existing research (Datta et al, 2022; Middleton et al, 2020; Redvers, 2020; Walsh et al, 2020) also claims similar concerns that we should highlight and analyse Indigenous land‐based adaption strategies, including the role of community networks, traditional knowledge, and cultural practices. We learned that the lack of Indigenous land rights and limited access to culturally sensitive mental health resources underscores systemic barriers, impeding the well‐being of Indigenous women.…”

“…Despite these challenges, Indigenous co-researchers expressed that Indigenous land-based learning and practice are unique ways of coping strategies to navigate the impacts of climate change on their mental health. Similarly, existing research (Datta et al, 2022;Middleton et al, 2020;Redvers, 2020;Walsh et al, 2020) also claims similar concerns that we should highlight and analyse Indigenous land-based adaption strategies, including the role of…”