[MUSIC] Indigenous peoples understand health in a holistic in an interconnected way, and see the well-being and health of bodies as related to the land. While western medicine has historically reduced definitions of health to physical symptoms with treatment of disease, some Indigenous cultures understand health to be connected to our emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical well-being. It is often said that if the land is not healthy, then the people cannot be healthy. As people were forced or willfully decided to adopt a more settled lifestyle, there's been a shift away from the consumption of traditional foods for many families. Increased consumption of processed food has resulted in an increase in diabetes and has had other negative health impacts in Indigenous communities. Although many Indigenous people would much prefer to consume country foods, like moose and fish, it has become increasingly expensive to go out onto the land to harvest. The cost of gas and ammunition for hunting make harvesting of traditional foods unattainable for many families. The disruption of the transmission of traditional hunting skills to younger generations has also created a barrier for some families to practice subsistence lifestyles. In addition to the difficulties accessing country foods there are increasing concerns about the level of contaminants being found in meat and fish. This is especially true for the arctic regions, where contaminants bioaccumulate in the fatty tissue of large marine mammals. Bioaccumulation refers to the progressively increasing levels of contaminants that are found in plants and animals as you work your way up the food chain. Many toxic chemicals are stored in the fatty tissues of animals. Larger animals eat smaller animals, thereby consuming all of the contaminants and taking them up into their own tissue. When people eventually eat the meat, they will absorb those chemicals into their own systems. In addition to physical impacts, disconnection from the land has negative impacts on the mental and spiritual well-being for many Indigenous communities. Losses of cultural practice and transmission of traditional skills is a result of colonial policies that focused on assimilation. Increasing resource development in the north, and other more remote areas of Canada, have impacts beyond the primary effects on the land caused by extraction. There are often wider social implications that come with a transient work force, increases in income, and shift work. Many studies have shown that there tends to be increases in negative social indicators of health, such as domestic violence and substance abuse, in resource-based rural economies. Shift work and being away from one's family for extended periods often places increased stress on the family at home. In Indigenous communities, there are additional culturally specific impacts. Many communities have undertaken their own initiatives to address the negative environmental, cultural, and health related implications that are associated with increased resource development. Government-run programs often fall short in addressing community needs. The legacy of colonial practices and attitudes impedes good relations between government departments and Indigenous communities. Government management over lands and resources are disconnected from Indigenous experiences. Patriarchal methods of prescribing solutions to Indigenous communities is not the right way to move forward. Many Indigenous communities have begun to respond to the ongoing threats and challenges by monitoring their lands. Communities are monitoring their own health, community health, water, fish and wildlife distributions and populations, and industrial development. Each monitoring program is unique, reflecting the variation of the challenges being faced, but also, in the cultural approach of different groups. Indigenous people have always watched the land, observed patterns of animal movement, weather, and species distribution. Indigenous knowledge is the key in land and resource management. Loss of language may not initially seem like something that's directly related to the land and resources. However, when we look at how Indigenous languages are structured, and the role language plays in the transmission of knowledge about the land and traditional way of life, we can see the connections. Many Indigenous peoples have words that are embedded in their world view that do not easily translate into English. For example, Inuit have inuusiq, meaning life cycle. And Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is the term used to described Inuit traditional knowledge or epistemology. Inuit use the suffix -muit, after the name of the land they belong to, which describes them as a person from this land. For example, people from the Kazan river are known as Harvaqtuurmiut, whose territory was Harvaqtuuq, the lower Kazan river. The Denésƍliné concept of Dene chan'ie could generally be described as Dene way of life or community well being, or living a good life. It refers to the complex interrelationship between the people and the land. This relationship also includes animals, plants, and the spirit of ancestors and represents living life according to the natural laws. These are Dene laws on Dene land. There are some concepts which simply do not translate into English terms. There is much information and detail about Indigenous cultures and ways of life that is tied up in language. When English is used, much of that meaning is lost. This is one of the primary reasons that language revitalization is a priority for Indigenous peoples. Language contains histories, cultures, identities, and knowledge. In addition to language revitalization, the preservation or protection of lands has become a priority for Indigenous people. A good example is Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and the National Marine Conservation Area in Haida Gwaii off the northwest coast of British Columbia. This park was the first cooperative management agreement between a First Nation and the government of Canada to establish and manage a nationally protected area. The Denésƍliné community of Lutsel K'e has undertaken a similar initiative and has been in negotiations with Parks Canada over the last number of years to establish a national protected area in their traditional territory. Thaidene Nene, or Land of the Ancestors, would protect over 30,000 square kilometres of Denésƍliné homeland for future generations. Other communities across Canada are also working to conserve key areas of land to ensure adequate land for wildlife, fresh water resources, and the practice of traditional skills. We learned earlier about land claims and the premise for co-management in northern regions of Canada and in British Columbia. By participating in co-management, Indigenous communities express their sovereignty over their traditional lands. However, given the challenges of getting Indigenous knowledge accepted by decision-makers, this is a diminished right. That is, the unfettered sovereignty of Indigenous peoples to their territories is not recognized by the nation-states they reside in. Indigenous peoples’ resistance occurs within individual nation-states, and includes international Indigenous resistance and alliance building. A longstanding example of this alliance-building culminated in the creation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP. UNDRIP was ratified in 2007, and although not international law, it does set out the recommendations for the international recognition of Indigenous peoples. It also recognizes Indigenous peoples' relationships with state governments, their traditional lands, and their rights as distinct peoples by the UN member countries. There are a total of 46 Articles in UNDRIP that define Indigenous peoples' rights. Articles 25 through to 28 specifically address issues related to lands and traditional territories. [MUSIC] >> Article 25 outlines the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations in this regard. [MUSIC] Article 26 states that Indigenous peoples should have rights to land and rights to own such land, also outlining that the state should give legal recognition of those rights and protection of lands and resources in ways that are respectful to traditional Indigenous systems and customs. Number one. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied, or otherwise used or acquired. Number two. Indigenous people have the right to own, use, develop and control the lands, territories, and resources that they possess by reason of traditional ownership, or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those which they have otherwise acquired. Number 3. States shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories, and resources. Such recognition shall be conducted with due respect to the customs, traditions, and land tenure systems of the Indigenous peoples concerned. [MUSIC] Article 27 outlines the State's responsibilities to establish and implement, in conjunction with Indigenous peoples concerned, a fair, independent, impartial, open and transparent process to recognize and adjudicate the rights of Indigenous peoples pertaining to their lands. [MUSIC] Article 28 states, number one, Indigenous peoples have the right to redress, by means that can include restitution or, when this is not possible, just, fair and equitable compensation for the lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned, or otherwise occupied or used, and which have been confiscated, taken, occupied, used, or damaged without their free, prior and informed consent. Number two, unless otherwise freely agreed upon by the peoples concerned, compensation shall take the form of lands, territories, and resources equal in quality, size, and legal status, or of monetary compensation or other appropriate redress. [MUSIC] >> Initially, 144 members of the UN signed onto UNDRIP, but four countries voted against the declaration, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. These four countries were apprehensive about signing the declaration, and Canada in particular was concerned that free, prior, and informed consent could be used by Indigenous nations to veto government and extractive business activities. Given their shared colonial histories, while disappointing, this came as no surprise to Indigenous peoples. Eventually, in 2010, Canada endorsed UNDRIP, but refused to recognize it as a legally binding document. In 2014, Canada remained the sole UN member refusing to adopt the Outcome Document. The full implementation of UNDRIP would result in significant shifts in power around land and resource management decision-making in Canada. Acknowledging Indigenous rights to land, legal systems, and self-governance would change the face of Canada. [MUSIC]
