Historical Trauma and Cultural Healing within Indigenous Communities in the United States and Canada — Dr. Dennis Wendt, Dr. Stefanie Gillson, and Dr. Maria C. Crouch
About this Event
Indigenous people are one of the fastest growing and most diverse racial/ethnic groups in the United States and Canada. Additionally, they experience some of the worst physical and mental health inequities. Social determinants contributing to the poor health status of Indigenous people include differential rates of poverty, lack of equal access to education, and inadequate housing. Historical trauma has been used to describe and explain health disparities within Indigenous communities. There is ongoing scholarly attention to the potential long-term consequences of historically traumatic events experienced by Indigenous people (Gone 2019a). Historical trauma is characterized by an imposed series of accumulating, purposefully enacted traumas and adversities experienced over time that are intergenerationally transmitted and compromising to descendants (Gone 2019b). Historical trauma along with stolen culture have been shown to be associated with feelings of isolation, disconnection from community, and breakdown of relationships (Smallwood 2020). Despite the troubling history and ongoing disparities, Indigenous values, communities, and importance of connectedness continue to exist and are key to combating colonization. Tribes have long called for culturally grounded approaches to addressing disproportionate health outcomes and healing. This has resulted in community driven and strength-based approaches that focus on decolonization and indigenization to achieve healing and health equity. Supported in the literature is the importance of community and connection to culture, which are correlated to wellness (Mckinley 2020) and provide targets for inclusion in promoting healing (Walls 2022).
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