Exploring Indigenous Concepts of Health: The Dimensions of Metis and Inuit Health

Abstract

A wealth of research illustrates the inequitable burden of health and social disparities borne by Indigenous (1) Canadians as compared to non-Indigenous Canadians (2–6). Current patterns of health and social suffering reflect the combined effects of colonial oppression, systemic racism, and discrimination, as well as unequal access to human, social, and environmental resources (7–13). Because such sizable disparities exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, health conditions for the Indigenous population have generally been described in relation to those of the non-Indigenous population. It is arguable that these kinds of comparisons are irrelevant because Indigenous and non-Indigenous concepts of health are shaped by distinct world views and cultures of experience, which are undeniably different between the two populations. Rarely has attention been paid to the diversity of health concepts within the Indigenous population itself. Recently, there has been a call for research to explore health concepts from within Indigenous cultures (9, 13–14)while drawing upon health frameworks that integrate Indigenous perspectives that may be useful for Aboriginal health policy development (15–18). In response, we draw upon Canada’s 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) to address the following objectives: 1) to explore dimensions of health for Canada’s Inuit and Metis populations; and 2) to examine the stability of these dimensions across and within cultural and geographical contexts.

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