Indigenous Health
Be a Good Relative
B
e a good relative. This is more than a short statement or concept, it’s a foundational value and a way of life. As Indigenous community members, leaders, advocates, professionals, and many other roles, these four words, “Be a good relative,” have a deeper meaning and are engrained in so much of who we are, how we engage with each other, and the work we do on a daily basis. The American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF) embraces this value in our work to address the tremendous cancer burdens impacting our American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) relatives as well as the impacts COVID-19 is currently having on our communities. Our traditional ways of knowing and living have always been part of our thinking, our teachings, and most importantly our wellness. Despite the persistent inequities AI/ANs face, the historical trauma, and the loss of our traditional lands, we remain resilient through the deep connection to our rich culture. Mnisota Makoce, known to many as Minnesota, is home to the ancestral lands of the Dakota and the Anishinabe. There are 11 federally recognized Tribal Nations across Minnesota that make up just under 60,000 AI/AN according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019. A large proportion of the population reside in urban areas, such as Minneapolis and St. Paul, due to various Federal policies, such as the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. The act was the government’s mission to assimilate AI/AN into the general population, with a goal to weaken their community By Melissa Buffalo and Wyatt Pickner
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Spring 2022
and tribal ties. Relocation, compounded by settler colonialism, legislation, policies, and violence have attempted to remove AI/AN from their culture, tradition, and land. As a result, many individuals and families move between urban areas and their traditional land bases as a means to stay connected, considering both home. Little Earth, HUD-subsidized housing in Minneapolis’ East Phillips neighborhood, has been a place for urban AI/AN
health care with concepts of community wellness, healing, and culturally competent care. Many AI/AN community members also access large healthcare systems across the Twin Cities metro as their primary source of care, sometimes through referral and often times via emergency care. In a perfect world, trust among these large healthcare systems and AI/AN patients would exist and culturally competent care, grounded in Indigenous ways
to create community, access resources, and build resiliency through belonging. This neighborhood, according to Culture Connections, has the third largest urban AI/ AN population in the United States. Additionally, the federal government has a trust responsibility to provide healthcare services to AI/ANs. However, the funding for these healthcare services for AI/ANs is inadequate. AI/AN community leaders and members are often at the forefront of addressing this issue by identifying supplemental funding and resources to support efforts to integrate our knowledge systems and culture into health care. Twin Cities urban AI/AN residents have access to the Indian Health Board (IHB) of Minneapolis and the Native American Community Clinic (NACC) for their
of knowing and being, would be at the center of all visits. Existing health inequities would not only be addressed by providers of western medicine but with input and guidance from the AI/AN community members and traditional healers. This concept is at the heart of our work at the AICAF and how we heal with culture and reclaim Indigenous health. AICAF, a national nonprofit organization based in Minnesota was established in 2011 to address the tremendous cancer burdens across Indian Country. AICAF works to eliminate the cancer burdens of Indigenous people through improved access to early detection, treatment, and survivor support. We do this in partnership with Native communities because we know as Indigenous people, our communities have
MetroDoctors
The Journal of the Twin Cities Medical Society
