Volume 9, Issue 2, June 2003, Pages 83–93
Therapeutic landscapes and First Nations peoples: an exploration of culture, health and place
Abstract
This
paper contributes to an expanding body of research within Health
Geography that focuses on the role of therapeutic landscapes in shaping
health. Therapeutic landscapes demonstrate the importance of places for
maintaining physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Meanings
of place and the relationship between place and health have culturally
specific dimensions, yet these tend to be overlooked especially with
respect to First Nations peoples. This paper broadens the analysis of
therapeutic landscapes by exploring their culturally specific dimensions
in the context of the everyday lives of ‘Anishinabek’ and thus
contributes to a better understanding of First Nations peoples.
First
Nations peoples contend that the relationship they have with the land
shapes the cultural, spiritual, emotional, physical and social lives of
individuals and communities. While geographic research has explored
First Nations peoples health, few studies have attempted to explore the
influence of cultural beliefs and values on health—let alone the
intricate link between the land and health. This paper presents the
results of 17 in-depth interviews conducted with Anishinabek (Ojibway
and Odawa) living in one First Nations community in northern Ontario,
Canada.
The findings from the interviews demonstrate that
culture is an important component of the link between health and place
in everyday life. Incorporating First Nations peoples’ perspectives of
health and place reveals that the current conceptualizations of health
and place within the Geography of Health literature are only partial.
Keywords
- Therapeutic landscapes;
- Culture;
- First Nations peoples
Copyright © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
