Animal-human relationship stories attest to the important role animals play in the holistic health of Indigenous peoples

McGinnis, A. ., Kincaid, A. ., Barrett, M. ., Ham, C. ., & Group, C. E. R. A. (2019). Strengthening animal-human relationships as a doorway to Indigenous holistic wellness. Ecopsychology. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/eco.2019.0003

Indigenous peoples have traditionally looked to animals and the gifts they bestow as integral to healing and holistic wellness in their personal and community lives. Colonization in many Indigenous communities, however, disrupted related beliefs and practices. This participatory research initiative represents a collaborative effort involving university researchers and Indigenous community members to develop an Indigenous wellness model that supports humans and animals as therapeutic allies. Such a model is intended to be mutually beneficial for humans and animals alike.

This community-based research partnership included community and university researchers, traditional Elders, and other community adults and youth. Everyone involved served as both experts and learners simultaneously. Their work consisted of developing a two-day animal-human relationship workshop to teach other community members methods for communicating with animals. The process in developing the workshop included inter-generational storytelling with Elders and youth, sharing circles, collective storytelling, individual and group interviews, feedback forms, and researcher observations -- all focusing on ways in which animals contribute to holistic wellness for Indigenous peoples.

Results showed that animals serve as messengers, providers, guides, helpers, teachers, protectors, and healers in the lives of Indigenous peoples. These findings are not presented as being representative of a comprehensive view of the role of animals for Indigenous holistic wellness, but “rather a glimpse into the importance of animals for a rural First Nations community in Saskatchewan that disrupts and challenges Western conceptions of health that tend to fragment understandings of holistic wellness for Indigenous peoples.” As such, the findings are not necessarily generalizable across Indigenous communities and Nations. They are, however, representative of a larger Indigenous worldview of connectedness that considers animals to be a part of “all our relations” and that recognizes the important role animals play in promoting the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of Indigenous individuals and communities.

This paper includes "concrete examples of how animals act as persons for Indigenous peoples and how they contribute to ways of healing.” Physicians, mental health professionals, and educators are encouraged to tap into this doorway to Indigenous health and wellness in providing opportunities for culturally-appropriate holistic health-care services for Indigenous peoples.

Research Partner