Health Care with Indigenous Women: Respectful Partnerships

Abstract

World cultures are comprised of two forms -individualist and collectivist. The dominant form of culture in western Europe and North America is the individualist form. However, most of the world's cultures, including Indigenous cultures, are collectivist, where loyalty to community and relationality outweighs individualism. In a shared world, we need dialogue between and among cultures if we are to achieve harmony and understanding. The health state of Canada's Indigenous people is considerably lower than that of non-Indigenous Canadians. Health inequities are associated with low income and lack of accessible and culturally safe health care. A complex web of socioeconomic, cultural, historical, and political factors affects health. Partnerships grounded in respect in working with Indigenous communities can begin to address health inequities. A Two-Eyed Seeing approach serves as a guide to respectful partnerships by bringing people with different ways of knowing together. Using illustrative stories and findings from our respective practice and research in Mi'kmaw and Inuit communities, and informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Canada report, this paper is a philosophical discussion of the importance of respectful and trustworthy relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.