Rekindling the Flame: An Exploration of the Relationships Between Health, Culture and Place Among Urban First Nations Men Living in London, Ontario

• Main Author: Smithers Graeme, Cindy
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarship@Western 2017
• Subjects: First Nations; Culture; Health; Community-Based Participatory Research; Intersectionality; Health Geography; Human Geography
• Online Access: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4928; https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/context/etd/article/6596/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf

In this dissertation, I present the findings of a community-based participatory research project with the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC). Embracing a decolonizing methodology that draws upon strengths-based and intersectional approaches, I qualitatively explore the relationships between health, culture and place among urban First Nations men living in the city of London, Ontario. Indigenous cultures are broadly defined as a “systems of belief, values, customs, and traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation through teachings, ecological knowledge and time-honoured land-based practices” (McIvor & Napoleon, p. 6). Culture is increasingly recognized as an important determinant of Indigenous health and well-being. Yet the processes by which this relationship occurs have not been critically explored among urban First Nations men. It is precisely these processes that I seek to explore within this dissertation as my overarching research question. Presented as a series of manuscripts, this dissertation has four research objectives: 1) To explore meanings of health among urban First Nations men living in London, Ontario; 2) To explore perceptions of culture among urban First Nations men living in London, Ontario; 3) To explore the relationship between health and culture among urban First Nations men living in London, Ontario; 4) To explore the benefits and challenges of working within a cross-cultural research relationship within a community-based participatory research project. The theoretical objectives of this research draw upon conversations with 13 urban First Nations men. Within these conversations, social connection, land and culture are identified as important determinants of wholistic health and well-being, particularly through their ability to provide a sense of belonging. These determinants and the experiences of belonging within them are intricately connected to the men’s traditional territories and reserve communities, and profoundly shaped by historical and ...