Objectives. Identifying Indigenous Peoples globally is complex and contested despite there being an estimated 370 million living in 70 countries. The specific context and use of locally relevant and clear definitions or characterizations of Indigenous Peoples is important for recognizing unique health risks Indigenous Peoples face, for understanding local Indigenous health aspirations and for reflecting on the need for culturally disaggregated data to plan meaningful research and health improvement programs. This paper explores perspectives on defining Indigenous Peoples and reflects on challenges in identifying Indigenous Peoples. Methods. Literature reviews and Internet searches were conducted, and some key experts were consulted.

We sought to understand the support networks of people living with HIV (PLWH) in the Canadian cities of Winnipeg and Regina, particularly of their network of caregivers and with a focus on people from disadvantaged and/or stigmatized communities. Using a variation of the Photovoice method, 31 study participants took photographs of their everyday realities and were then interviewed. Among the findings was the heavy reliance on institutional caregivers and on nonhuman sources of support. There was evidence of peer-to-peer networks of care, but the strongest connections were with their formal caregivers. HIV as a chronic condition among disadvantaged and/or stigmatized groups requires paying special attention to informal and formal care dynamics and to where social or family networks cannot meet the basic needs. Honing in on and enhancing these features through programs and services can only improve the situation of stigmatized yet hopeful and resilient PLWH.

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