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“The Land Nurtures Our Spirit”: Understanding the Role of the Land in Labrador Innu Wellbeing

Author

Listed:
  • Leonor Mercedes Ward

    (Population Health Ph.D. Program, Faculty of Health Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada)

  • Mary Janet Hill

    (Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation, Innu Nation of Labrador, Sheshatshiu, NL A0P 1M0, Canada)

  • Nikashant Antane

    (Innu Round Table, Innu Nation of Labrador, Sheshatshiu, NL A0P 1M0, Canada)

  • Samia Chreim

    (Population Health Ph.D. Program, Faculty of Health Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
    Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada)

  • Anita Olsen Harper

    (National Aboriginal Circle against Family Violence, Kahnawake, QC J0L 1B0, Canada)

  • Samantha Wells

    (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, ON M5S 2S1, Canada
    Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
    Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
    Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada)

Abstract

We examined Indigenous views of wellbeing, aiming to understand how the Labrador Innu view influence of land on their health. The Innu live in two First Nation communities (Sheshatshiu and Natuashish) in the subarctic portion of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Their views on land and wellbeing are context specific and have not been studied; our research addresses this significant gap in literature. Findings highlight that the experience of being on the land with family and community, learning cultural knowledge, and gaining a sense of identity play a major role in enhancing wellbeing. Externally imposed policies and programs conceiving Indigenous land as a physical place only fail to understand that land sustains wellbeing by emplacing knowledge systems and cultural identity.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonor Mercedes Ward & Mary Janet Hill & Nikashant Antane & Samia Chreim & Anita Olsen Harper & Samantha Wells, 2021. "“The Land Nurtures Our Spirit”: Understanding the Role of the Land in Labrador Innu Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-13, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5102-:d:552673
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Ward, Leonor M. & Hill, Mary Janet & Chreim, Samia & Poker, Christine & Olsen Harper, Anita & Wells, Samantha, 2020. "Developing an Innu framework for health research: The canoe trip as a metaphor for a collaborative approach centered on valuing Indigenous knowledges," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Kalinda Griffiths & Abbey Diaz & Lisa J. Whop & Joan Cunningham, 2021. "The Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples around the Globe: Ensuring and Promoting Best Practice in Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Kate Anderson & Elaina Elder-Robinson & Alana Gall & Khwanruethai Ngampromwongse & Michele Connolly & Angeline Letendre & Esther Willing & Zaine Akuhata-Huntington & Kirsten Howard & Michelle Dickson , 2022. "Aspects of Wellbeing for Indigenous Youth in CANZUS Countries: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-44, October.
    3. Stephen R. J. Tsuji & Aleksandra M. Zuk & Andrew Solomon & Ruby Edwards-Wheesk & Fatima Ahmed & Leonard J. S. Tsuji, 2023. "What Is Wellbeing, and What Is Important for Wellbeing? Indigenous Voices from across Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(17), pages 1-35, August.
    4. Viviane Josewski & Sarah de Leeuw & Margo Greenwood, 2023. "Grounding Wellness: Coloniality, Placeism, Land, and a Critique of “Social” Determinants of Indigenous Mental Health in the Canadian Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-23, February.
    5. Tamara Mackean & Madison Shakespeare & Matthew Fisher, 2022. "Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Theories of Wellbeing and Their Suitability for Wellbeing Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-16, September.

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