There are many different names given to the first inhabitants of Canada. They include First Nations, Native Americans, Aboriginal People and Indians, but no matter what you call them there appears to be an epidemic of poor health in Canada. Unfortunately, the first inhabitants of Canada also have the poorest health.

       First of all I feel that it is best to define the people who this website looks at. Aboriginal People are "Indigenous peoples of Canada are identified in Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 as including Indians (status and non-status), Metis and Inuit people" (British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning (2001)).

        "The First Nations perception of health differs from the medical definition. Health and wellness are inseparable from the physical, spiritual, mental, economic, environmental, social and cultural wellness of the individual, family, and community." Mullins, as cited in British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning (2001), states "that health is not merely the absence of disease or illness. Nor is it measured by a set of statistics and indicators. A healthy community is one with a lack of material scarcity and where its members are self-confident and participate in its political, economic and cultural life." (British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning (2001))

        Some of the major health concerns for the Aboriginal people includes substance abuse, this includes both drugs and alcohol; diabetes; heart disease; tobacco use; stress; and many other problems. While doing a literature review I decided to look at the overall effects of Residential Schools on Aboriginal Health. Miller (2001) states that “Keith Leckie, the film’s writer, heard stories of children being confined, punished for speaking their own language, of being stripped and forced to stand naked before the school. These stories led Leckie, a non-Native, to the conclusion “that these schools were the basis for drug and alcohol abuse, broken homes and for suicides”. All of these health problems lead to the poor Aboriginal health which can be seen today.

       A great website that can be viewed to find more information about Aboriginal health is The BC First Nations Health Handbook. It contains lots of information, links and definitions. It also links to the BC Health Guide given out province-wide a few years ago but has a more "Native" focus.

        In particular I fould the Elders' Words of Wisdon very useful because in the health care profession we are often not given tips by people who actually live in and know the community. The tips they give are as follows:

Elders' Words of Wisdom

1. Be open and honest
   
   
2. Acknowledge the diversity of our people
   
   
3. Be non-judgemental
   
   
4. Contact the community health care representative and get to know community traditions, ceremonies, history, health situation, determinants of health, and any “taboos”
   
   
5. Respect confidentiality: for those living in small communities, confidentiality is of utmost concern
   
   
6. Learn health care questions that could be tailored to the community
   
   
7. Remember you are on native territory and respect our traditional beliefs
   
   
8. Acknowledge the traditional healing ways of our people
   
   (British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning (2001))

        Arnold and Underman Boggs (2003), state that "Native Americans suffer from much higher rates of mortality from chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, alcoholism, diabetes, and pneumonia...Health concerns of particular relevance to the Native American population are unintentional injuries (of which 75% are alcohol related), cirrhosis, alcoholism, and obesity".