Indigenous Traditional Medicine
From First Nations' Health Authority, First Nations Approaches to Traditional Medicine.
OCAP
OCAP® – First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC): “The First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession – more commonly known as OCAP® – assert that First Nations have control over data collection processes, and that they own and control how this information can be used.” FNIGC offers training and information on OCAP® and First Nations data sovereignty.
Register for training: The Fundamentals of OCAP. Seven (7) self-guided modules “introduce the fundamental concepts of OCAP®, information governance and First Nations data sovereignty.” Statement of achievement sent on completion.
Papers on OCAP available: FNIGC online library
Indigenous Traditional Medicine
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Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games and visual and performing arts. They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.
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In conjunction with Indigenous peoples, States shall take effective measures to recognize and protect the exercise of these rights.
From Article 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples.
Land and Health
- NCCIH Health Land, Healthy People collectionA collection of resources that illustrate the connections between land and health for Indigenous peoples, and the importance of these connections to attain the best possible health outcomes for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
Articles & Reports
- Traditional Healers Gathering Report - FNHA (2012)The Traditional Healers Gathering was attended by 131 people, which included 68 traditional healers and knowledge keepers from across BC. The Gathering endeavored to draw upon the wisdom and experience of the participants to nurture tradition, culture, and holistic wellbeing in our current health systems.
- Traditional Wellness Strategic Report - FNHAThe purpose of this document is to outline key objectives and strategies for the promotion, incorporation and protection of traditional medicines and practices, and to suggest some key objectives and strategies for further advancing this work.
Suggested Books
The Science of the Sacred by ISBN: 9781623173364Publication Date: 2019Based on current medical research, Native American and naturopathic doctor Nicole Redvers identifies traditional healing methods developed centuries ago that address modern ailments and medical processes.
Walking Together, Working Together by Call Number: SA J645 W35 2022ISBN: 9781772125375Publication Date: 2023Topics include traditional healers and approaches to treatment of disease and illness; traditional knowledge and intellectual property around medicinal plant knowledge; the role of diet and traditional foods in health promotion; culturally sensitive approaches to healing work with urban Indigenous populations; and integrating biomedicine, alternative therapies, and Indigenous healing in clinical practice.
Wisdom Engaged by ISBN: 9781772124743Publication Date: 2019Collaboration between traditional knowledge and Western bio-medicine aims to improve health care in Northern communities.- Traditional medicine and primary health care among Canadian Aboriginal people : a discussion paper with annotated bibliography byCall Number: SA A533 T73 1993Publication Date: 1992Describes the similarities and differences between: traditional aboriginal medicine and primary health care; the benefits for consumers, providers of care and the community; and the possibilities for co-existence and complementarity of traditional Aboriginal medicine and primary health care.
Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, Ethics and Sovereignty
"...our knowledge and relationships with the genetic diversity of our territories is threatened by governments, corporations, scientists and other bodies and individuals. Biopiracy and cultural appropriation abound."
John Borrows, in .
Genetic Resources, Justice and Reconciliation: Canada and Global Access and Benefit Sharing by ISBN: 9781108470766Publication Date: 2018When the oral history of a medicinal plant as a genetic resource is used to develop a blockbuster drug, how is the contribution of indigenous peoples recognized in research and commercialization? What other ethical, legal, and policy issues come into play? Is it accurate for countries to self-identify as users or providers of genetic resources?
Plants, people, and places : the roles of ethnobotany and ethnoecology in Indigenous peoples' land rights in Canada and beyond by Call Number: SN T87 P535 2020ISBN: 9780228001836Publication Date: 2020While the First Peoples of Canada and other parts of the world have developed deep cultural understandings of plants and their environments, this knowledge is often underrecognized in debates about land rights and title, reconciliation, treaty negotiations, and traditional territories.
