June is National Indigenous History Month, and June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. It is a time to recognize and respect, while learning about, the diverse cultures and history of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Canada. While this work does not start or end in June every year, it does provide us with an opportunity to explore the past, and honour the truth about the ongoing negative health and well-being impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples throughout our country.
Working Towards Reconciliation
Grounding documents such as the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action (TRC report), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, and the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, help us honour this truth, and guide us in the important work we are doing to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples. Call to Action 22 in the TRC report asks those within the Canadian healthcare system to recognize the value of Indigenous healing practices and use them in the treatment of Indigenous patients, in collaboration with healers and Elders. One project our donors have generously supported is a direct response to this call to action. This project uses Indigenous ways of knowing and being to develop and gift Kloshe Nanitch medicine bundles to Indigenous communities throughout BC.
This unique project is led by Chee Mamuk — the self-determining Indigenous-led program within the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). Kloshe Nanitch means “take care” in Chinook Jargon, used as a trade language between First Nations, Métis, Inuit and early settlers and traders. This is precisely what these bundles strive to do. They remind people they are cared for, and that their traditions and culture are valued.
A Two-Eyed Seeing Approach to Health
Gifting is an important way to show respect in Indigenous cultures, so these bundles are gifted at community gatherings, such as community-led Healing Fire Ceremonies. This act of gifting builds trust and reciprocity, demonstrating care and love as people connect in relationships and understanding. This approach to health and wellness may look very different from how Western cultures might traditionally view population health — it is about supporting the spirit first, before the body can heal.
Co-designed with Indigenous communities, the bundles support a full spectrum of peoples’ lived experiences. They meet practical needs by weaving together Indigenous and Western health and wellness resources that support food security, sexual health, housing, disease prevention, and more. They also fulfill spiritual needs by including healing herbs and traditional medicines such as Sage and Sweetgrass, as well as messages of kindness, hope, and resilience.
Kloshe Nanitch bundles have been assembled and gifted to communities in Northern BC, Vancouver Island and the North Coast, the Interior, and the Lower Mainland. The bundles have been gratefully received, due in part to gifting being so culturally understood. They have been quickly picked up and continue to be requested in high demand by communities. Recipients have noted that when they are gifted the bundle, they feel a responsibility to provide with their gift, so they will pass along items to others, growing their feeling of connection and belonging. Recipients also use the bundles to build bridges to neighbouring communities, sharing items with them in hopes of reuniting after being arbitrarily separated during colonization.
Funds raised for this initiative will enable the team to continue building and distributing bundles, where and when they are needed most, particularly in remote and hard to reach regions. The contents of the bundles continue to evolve to reflect community feedback and needs, as determined by the people working, living, and sharing experiences in their communities across the province. For example, evaluation from a bundling event led to the creation of bundles geared to Indigenous individuals leaving incarceration.
The Gift of Cultural Connection
The bundles are strengthening the capacity for community health, and helping to build confidence in community-based healing. Indigenous peoples can stay on their land, and have the expertise and supplies they require, rather than travelling long distances for services that may not meet their needs. This work is also helping to provide cultural teachings that provide guidance, in particular for young men, putting them back on the land, providing role models, and creating a connection for Indigenous men to their cultural teachings — teachings that were taken away through colonial practices like the sixties scoop, and residential schools. This is particularly important because a connection to land and culture can improve the health of Indigenous men, who have the poorest health outcomes and life expectancy of any demographic group in Canada.
The act of reaching out to Indigenous communities with bundles of support, hope and healing is a small step in our work towards Truth and Reconciliation. The historical and ongoing colonization and oppression of Indigenous Peoples has created a pervasive lack of trust in government and related institutions, including public health. It has created ongoing health and socioeconomic disparities, poorer health outcomes, and extensive inequities. Building that trust and addressing these inequities takes hard work and collaboration with Indigenous communities, with a focus on thoughtful public health initiatives rooted in respect. These bundles help strengthen the relationships and trust with Indigenous communities — promoting better health practices across populations — while advancing crucial transformation in how Western-based health models adapt and authentically support Indigenous people and their healthcare journeys.
Our Foundation envisions a safer, healthier, and more equitable future for all and we have a long track record of engaging and investing in innovative, collaborative, and evidence-based initiatives that improve population health. We will continue to collaborate with our valued partners across the province to invest in projects like this, which address harms and inequities, promote health and well-being, and build relations, cooperation, and a new way of thinking and healing together.
Please donate if you would like to support projects like this, that prioritize health, equity, and Truth and Reconciliation.
