Land-Based Intervention: a Qualitative Study of the Knowledge and Practices Associated with One Approach to Mental Health in a Cree Community

Abstract

This project is a qualitative study of a land-based intervention used in an Indigenous community in northern Ontario. As previous research suggests, a sense of connection to the land is an integral part of Indigenous well-being, and mental health interventions centered around this connection may be more appropriate for use in Indigenous communities than Western treatment approaches that typically emphasize individuality. The present study gains further insight into how a land-based intervention can be applied to an Indigenous community. Interviews with three community members were conducted and summarized in order to understand their views on the background, components, advantages, and challenges of the program. Results showed a focus on strengthening cultural identity, facilitating intergenerational knowledge transfer, and building relationships with others, similar to other land-based programs across Canada. The importance of reconnecting Indigenous youth with their cultural heritage and developing community-centered programs are discussed.The goal of the present study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of a land-based intervention within an Indigenous community in northern Ontario. A recent qualitative study by Danto and Walsh (2017) explored the comparative resilience of one James and Hudson Bay community, which despite a shared history of trauma and oppression with the other five Cree communities in this area, had been reported to have markedly lower rates of mental health services utilization and suicide. Interviews with community leaders and mental health services providers were conducted and analyzed in order to identify the features that distinguished this

“The land is a healer”: Perspectives on land-based healing from Indigenous practitioners in northern Canada

“…Wildcat et al states "Land-based education, in resurging and sustaining Indigenous life and knowledge, acts in direct contestation to settler colonialism and its drive to eliminate Indigenous life and Indigenous claims to land" (Wildcat et al, 2014, p. lll). Further, land-based pedagogy acts through engagement in direct conversations with and "on the land in a physical, social and spiritual sense" (p. 11).Through this direct engagement, participants helped articulate the concepts and healing benefits behind land-based healing, which are similar to those provided in other studies across Canada (Dobson & Brazzoni, 2016;Gesink et al, 2019;Hansen, 2018;Radu et al, 2014;Tobias & Richmond, 2014;Walsh et al, 2018). The land as healer wisdom held by knowledge keepers is now recognized in the literature demonstrating a myriad of scientifically validated health and wellness outcomes stemming from spending time connecting with natural areas (Barton et al, 2016;Barton & Pretty, 2010;Berman et al, 2008;Bratman et al, 2012;Bratman et al, 2015;James et al, 2015;Li, 2010;Maller et al, 2006).…”

“…Many northern Indigenous communities have been vocal in their understanding that reconnecting people with land practices is a preferred mode of healing (Porter, 2012;"Yukon to invest", 2014). Both informal activities and contemporary programs are united under an integrated and culturally-determined epistemology, referred to in this study and corresponding literature as "land-based" (Dylan & Smallboy, 2016;Thompson et al, 2018;Walsh et al, 2018;Wildcat et al, 2014). For Indigenous practitioners, this cultural understanding differentiates it from other terms in the literature such as "outdoor", "adventure", "wilderness" or "nature-based" (Russell, 2001) which stem from Western conceptualizations and values of land ethic, often including a laden separateness or "stewardship over" (DeLancey, 2012) rather than interdependence with the natural world (Lowan, 2009).…”

“…Evaluations have demonstrated that land-based programs increase resilience and wellness in youth by improving self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and cultural pride (Healey et al, 2016;Janelle et al, 2009;Ritchie et al, 2014). There is still a need for more crosscultural research around the conceptualization, design, delivery, and evaluation of these initiatives (Ritchie et al, 2014) with a call to invite more of those involved to share their stories in the literature (Walsh, 2018).…”

“…Environmental health is a determinant of human health (Cunsolo et al, 2015;Durkalec et al, 2015) and connection to the land is recognized as a central feature in Indigenous health and well-being (Kant et al, 2013;Richmond & Ross, 2009). Rebuilding a sense of connection with the land is important for Indigenous mental health promotion and intervention (Kirmayer et al, 2003;Walsh et al, 2018).…”

“Work, respect, belonging”: remote First Nation school program development

“…Facilitating connection and time on the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples is a land-based activity. Land-based activities are seen as facilitating connection to a Nations' ways and culture, nature, family and community, identity, and spirituality, as well as pride and self-esteem (Walsh et al, 2018). The concepts of identity that Walsh et al 2018 Healing.…”