Wholistic Indigenous Health and Wellness through Empowerment and Self-determination

Our primary objective is to assemble a distinguished group of Indigenous Elders and community leaders, Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, and non-profit and governmental organizations dedicated to the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. It is our intention to use this planning grant as the catalyst for the effective knowledge translation (KT) of Indigenous ways of understanding and being to further highlight the aspirations of Indigenous peoples related to wholistic health and wellness. We will build upon previous CIHR-funded projects that allowed our team to critically evaluate the literature regarding traditional Indigenous health and wellness knowledges, practices, and traditions, and to determine (via decolonizing and co-creation methods) the current health and wellness priorities of Indigenous peoples, and the aspirations of Indigenous peoples for KT tools related to wholistic health and wellness. This included a series of knowledge generation events including environmental scans and extensive sharing circles held in urban and rural Indigenous communities. Our project is designed specifically to support the meaningfully engagement of diverse Indigenous leaders and communities in the global promotion of wholistic Indigenous health and wellness practices and traditional medicines. Ultimately, our goal is to enhance the empowerment and self-determination of Indigenous peoples providing greater ownership over health and wellness within their own communities. Through this work, we aim to increase the global understanding of traditional Indigenous health and wellness practices and the aspirations of Indigenous peoples related to wholistic, community-based, Indigenous led, health and wellness approaches. We will accomplish these goals through an Indigenous led planning event, the hosting of an international symposium, and the creation of new KT resources dedicated to Indigenous health and wellbeing.