Health activists share Indigenous perspectives on

Medical Science

Wednesday’s lecture on health science from an Indigenous perspective opened with a greeting to the universe, mother earth, the moon, the sun, and all living beings. Spoken in Mohawk and translated to English, this greeting is traditionally performed every morning and encourages a worldview where human beings are part of a larger circle of life. The presenters, Alex McComber, Amelia Tekwatonti MacGregor, as well as MacGregor’s daughter, used this opening as a way of describing holistic science, medicine, and lifestyle.

This event, organized by the Indigenous Student Support Centre (ISSC) and the Dean of Science, shared some of the challenges facing Indigenous people in a colonized country, while also presenting an alternative way of looking at knowledge, nature, and power.

Knowledge can come from many sources, not just traditional education, and Indigenous scientific knowledge comes primarily from observation of nature. McComber described how European colonizers were not able to see harmony with nature as civilization because they associated progress with the exploitation of the natural world.

McComber and MacGregor are Kanien’keha:ka, known to Europeans as Mohawks, from Kahnawa:ke, an area on the south shore of the St. Lawrence that is now a First Nations reserve. They are both Bear Clan, a Clan commonly associated with medicinal knowledge, partly due to the story of bears sharing medicinal knowledge with humans. Now living in Montreal and teaching at McGill, McComber shared the difficulties of feeling close to nature in a busy urban environment, but also the benefit of cultivating a respect for nature in that situation.

The presenters also spoke about the stress and the baggage caused by colonial systems that continue to affect Indigenous people. MacGregor shared that it is a part of her life to come to terms with those feelings, and it can cause anger, frustration, and sadness, which is something that non-Indigenous people can be aware of. The loss of community members to residential schools continues to cause incredible grief for the community. MacGregor urged the audience to be free from this baggage, whether Indigenous or European, but not to forget the story behind it.

McComber and MacGregor have both been involved with diabetes prevention programs, and MacGregor mentioned the “white sisters” or colonized food of flour, sugar, and salt that has infiltrated Indigenous diets and caused harm, as opposed to the traditional three sisters of corn, squash, and beans. The speakers emphasized how health is more than the body, but has everything to do with broader systems and environments. The lecture ended by asking the students in the room to be caretakers of the future for the generations to come.

The lecture was preceded by a smaller event for faculty and advisors about how to best support Indigenous students. The ISSC, led by Vicki Boldo and Shawna Chatterton-Jerome, has an office in the bottom floor of Centennial and are available by email at indigenous@ubishops.ca