IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v294y2022ics027795362200003x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“Land is everything, land is us”: Exploring the connections between climate change, land, and health in Fort William First Nation

Author

Listed:
  • Galway, Lindsay P.
  • Esquega, Elizabeth
  • Jones-Casey, Kelsey

Abstract

The myriad and cumulative impacts of climate change on land, communities, and health are increasingly evident worldwide. Throughout 2019 and 2020, Fort William First Nation and researchers at Lakehead University conducted a project to document and understand connections among climate change, land, and health from the perspective of Elders, knowledge keepers, and community members with close ties to the land. Fort William First Nation is an Anishinaabe community located on the shores of Lake Superior/Kitchigami in Northern Ontario and within Robinson-Superior Treaty territory. This paper describes the analysis of interviews with 22 community members. Two-Eyed Seeing, an approach that centers the working together of Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledges and peoples and demands respectful relationship building, guided our project and analysis. Our analysis identified five themes: 1) observations and experiences of changes on the land, 2) lack of care and respect for Mother Earth as the root cause of climate change, 3) healthy land, healthy people, 4) youth and future generations, and 5) (re-)connecting with land and culture. 'All our Relations' is a thread woven across these themes emphasizing that climate change is understood and experienced through relationships and relationality. As concluding thoughts and reflections, we share three specific offerings of particular relevance to those engaging in climate change and health research and action with Indigenous peoples and communities. First, this research has highlighted the importance of explicitly centering land when exploring the links between climate change and health. Second, we reflect on the value of both the Two-Eyed Seeing approach and the Medicine Wheel in guiding climate change and health research. Third, we argue for an explicit focus on relationships and relationality in efforts aimed at understanding and addressing climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Galway, Lindsay P. & Esquega, Elizabeth & Jones-Casey, Kelsey, 2022. "“Land is everything, land is us”: Exploring the connections between climate change, land, and health in Fort William First Nation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:294:y:2022:i:c:s027795362200003x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114700
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795362200003X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114700?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Middleton, Jacqueline & Cunsolo, Ashlee & Jones-Bitton, Andria & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele & Pollock, Nathaniel & Flowers, Charlie & Harper, Sherilee L., 2020. "“We're people of the snow:” Weather, climate change, and Inuit mental wellness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    2. Durkalec, Agata & Furgal, Chris & Skinner, Mark W. & Sheldon, Tom, 2015. "Climate change influences on environment as a determinant of Indigenous health: Relationships to place, sea ice, and health in an Inuit community," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 136, pages 17-26.
    3. Mikraszewicz, Kathleen & Richmond, Chantelle, 2019. "Paddling the Biigtig: Mino biimadisiwin practiced through canoeing," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    4. Ashlee Cunsolo & Neville R. Ellis, 2018. "Ecological grief as a mental health response to climate change-related loss," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 275-281, April.
    5. Petrasek MacDonald, Joanna & Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee & Ford, James D. & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele, 2015. "Protective factors for mental health and well-being in a changing climate: Perspectives from Inuit youth in Nunatsiavut, Labrador," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 133-141.
    6. Makenzie MacKay & Brenda Parlee & Carrie Karsgaard, 2020. "Youth Engagement in Climate Change Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    7. Cheryl Bartlett & Murdena Marshall & Albert Marshall, 2012. "Two-Eyed Seeing and other lessons learned within a co-learning journey of bringing together indigenous and mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 2(4), pages 331-340, November.
    8. Jamie Donatuto & Larry Campbell & William Trousdale, 2020. "The “value” of values-driven data in identifying Indigenous health and climate change priorities," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 161-180, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gallois, Sandrine & Ambassa, Appolinaire & Ramírez Rozzi, Fernando, 2024. "Indigenous peoples’ health: Culturally grounded evidence from the Baka, Southeastern Cameroon," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexandra Sawatzky & Ashlee Cunsolo & Andria Jones-Bitton & Dan Gillis & Michele Wood & Charlie Flowers & Inez Shiwak & Sherilee L. Harper, 2020. "“The best scientists are the people that’s out there”: Inuit-led integrated environment and health monitoring to respond to climate change in the Circumpolar North," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 45-66, May.
    2. Ma, Tianyi & Moore, Jane & Cleary, Anne, 2022. "Climate change impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of young people: A scoping review of risk and protective factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    3. Elana Nightingale & Chantelle Richmond, 2022. "Reclaiming Land, Identity and Mental Wellness in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg Territory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-15, June.
    4. Kosanic, Aleksandra & Petzold, Jan, 2020. "A systematic review of cultural ecosystem services and human wellbeing," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    5. Nelson, Sarah E. & Wilson, Kathi, 2017. "The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 93-112.
    6. Makenzie MacKay & Brenda Parlee & Carrie Karsgaard, 2020. "Youth Engagement in Climate Change Action: Case Study on Indigenous Youth at COP24," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    7. Middleton, Jacqueline & Cunsolo, Ashlee & Jones-Bitton, Andria & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele & Pollock, Nathaniel & Flowers, Charlie & Harper, Sherilee L., 2020. "“We're people of the snow:” Weather, climate change, and Inuit mental wellness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    8. Panu Pihkala, 2020. "Eco-Anxiety and Environmental Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-38, December.
    9. Robert P. Shepherd & Treena R. Orchard, 2022. "“We Cause a Ruckus”: Exploring How Indigenous Youth Navigate the Challenges of Community Engagement and Leadership," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-16, August.
    10. Mindy Jewell Price & Alex Latta & Andrew Spring & Jennifer Temmer & Carla Johnston & Lloyd Chicot & Jessica Jumbo & Margaret Leishman, 2022. "Agroecology in the North: Centering Indigenous food sovereignty and land stewardship in agriculture “frontiers”," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1191-1206, December.
    11. David Zandvliet & Shannon Leddy & Cate Inver & Victor Elderton & Brittney Townrow & Lori York, 2023. "Approaches to Bio-Cultural Diversity in British Columbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    12. Liang, Chao & Xia, Zhenglan & Lai, Xiaodong & Wang, Lu, 2022. "Natural gas volatility prediction: Fresh evidence from extreme weather and extended GARCH-MIDAS-ES model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    13. Shelley T. Price & Christopher M. Hartt & Albert J. Mills & Nia F. MacFarlane, 2022. "Indigenous and gendered persons and peoples in business ethics education: Intersections of Indigenous wisdoms and de Beauvoirian existentialism," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 131-150, January.
    14. Martín Bascopé & Kristina Reiss, 2021. "Place-Based STEM Education for Sustainability: A Path towards Socioecological Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, July.
    15. Morton Ninomiya, Melody E. & Maddox, Raglan & Brascoupé, Simon & Robinson, Nicole & Atkinson, Donna & Firestone, Michelle & Ziegler, Carolyn & Smylie, Janet, 2022. "Knowledge translation approaches and practices in Indigenous health research: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    16. Kingsley, Jonathan & Munro-Harrison, Emily & Jenkins, Anne & Thorpe, Alister, 2021. "Developing a framework identifying the outcomes, principles and enablers of ‘gathering places’: Perspectives from Aboriginal people in Victoria, Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    17. Isobel Sharpe & Colleen M. Davison, 2022. "A Scoping Review of Climate Change, Climate-Related Disasters, and Mental Disorders among Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-19, March.
    18. Fatima Ahmed & Aleksandra M. Zuk & Leonard J. S. Tsuji, 2021. "The Impact of Land-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Self-Reported Health and Well-Being of Indigenous Adults: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-23, July.
    19. Rachel Clissold & Ellie Furlong & Karen E. McNamara & Ross Westoby & Anita Latai-Niusulu, 2023. "How Pacifika Arts Reveal Interconnected Losses for People and Place in a Changing Climate," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-19, April.
    20. Harriet Thew & Lucie Middlemiss & Jouni Paavola, 2022. "“You Need a Month’s Holiday Just to Get over It!” Exploring Young People’s Lived Experiences of the UN Climate Change Negotiations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:294:y:2022:i:c:s027795362200003x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.