Exploring Indigenous Ways of Coping After a Wildfire Disaster in Northern Alberta, Canada

Abstract

In May 2016, a wildfire devastated a northern region of Alberta, Canada, resulting in negative consequences on physical and mental stress, social relationships, and overall resilience among Indigenous residents. Research on coping and managing stress following a disaster has failed to incorporate unique characteristics from Indigenous perspectives. Sharing circles were held in urban and rural community settings to capture: (a) Indigenous perspectives of coping, (b) individual and collective strengths that helped Indigenous residents and communities to cope during and after the wildfire, and (c) intergenerational experiences of coping from stress among Indigenous residents. Indigenous residents’ experience with coping from the wildfire was shaped by: (a) heightened physical and emotional stress, (b) existing structural inequities, and (c) strong community cohesion and connection to culture. An unexpected outcome of this research was the therapeutic value of the sharing circles for participants to share their experience.

Health Systems Responsiveness in Addressing Indigenous Residents' Health and Mental Health Needs Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in Northern Alberta, Canada: Perspectives From Health Service Providers

“…Self-determination not only leads to more appropriate services but also contributes to reconciliation as a tool to reduce the oppressive legacy of colonization and historical traumas (65). Further, similar to prior disaster response in Indigenous communities, jurisdictional and governance challenges were noted and lack of communication between leadership in communities was observed to influence the health systems' response (4). Prior research stresses the importance of coordination and collaboration between government and organizations that are supporting mental health and recovery (66).…”

“…Service providers highlighted the role of community engagement to build relationships, improve understanding of local contexts for service providers and foster community connectedness, which in turn supported emotional well-being. Moreover, connection to the land, culture, and spirituality must be considered when responding to mental health needs of Indigenous populations (4). As an effort to normalize mental health disturbances experienced by the residents following the wildfire, Alberta Health Services (AHS) launched a campaign called "Recovery Takes Time" and emphasized that recovery looks different for everyone (57).…”

“…This paper focuses on services for Indigenous residents who were among those who experienced significant health and mental health impacts after the 2016 Horse River wildfire in northern Alberta, Canada. Qualitative research led by Montesanti et al (4) documented heightened physical and emotional stress among First Nations and Métis Indigenous residents following this wildfire, as well as challenges that residents faced when accessing services and supports for health and mental health concerns. These findings are consistent with previous research showing that Indigenous communities are more vulnerable to the effects of wildfires (5,6) compared to other sub-populations.…”

Identifying priorities, directions and a vision for Indigenous mental health using a collaborative and consensus-based facilitation approach

“…It is important that we highlight the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples during challenging and traumatic events like a natural disaster or public health crisis. Research that examined how Indigenous residents coped after the 2016 Horse River wildfire revealed the importance of kinship, social and community support, and connection to culture as positive coping mechanisms and factors influencing mental health and well-being [ 83 ].…”

Revitalizing Strong Cultural Connections and Resilience: Co-Designing a Pilot Elder-Led Mentorship Program for Indigenous Mothers in a Remote Northern Community in Alberta, Canada

“…Previous research has shown that fostering relationships between younger generations and Elders strengthens cultural connectedness via opportunities to learn cultural teachings and language, as well as connect with the land [18,19]. Indigenous traditional and cultural activities that strengthen cultural and community connectedness and promote healing include land-based activities such as harvesting, hunting, shing and medicine picking, Indigenous crafting, traditional songs, traditional dance, storytelling, and creative arts [14,[20][21][22]. Many of these activities have been incorporated in cultural programming delivered in Indigenous communities and involve the integration of Indigenous pedagogies (i.e., land-based learning, experiential/hands-on activities), emphasis on the holistic aspects of well-being, focus on strengths-based approaches, and inclusion of Indigenous languages and cultural values [11,16,[23][24][25].…”