Structural Racism and Indigenous Health: What Indigenous Perspectives of Residential School and Boarding School Tell Us? A Case Study of Canada and Finland

• Published in: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Main Authors: Juutilainen, Sandra A, Miller, Ruby, Heikkilä, Lydia, Rautio, Arja
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholarship@Western 2014
• Subjects: residential school; boarding school; Haudenosaunee; Sámi; identity; health inequalities; Community Health; Other Public Health; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Canada; Inari
• Online Access: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol5/iss3/3; https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2014.5.3.3

The objective of this study was to explore, as an example of structural racism, the effects of residential school and boarding school on the self-perceived health of Indigenous peoples’ in Canada and Finland. Structured interviews were conducted at Six Nations of the Grand River and Inari municipality. The individual and intergenerational negative effects included themes of vulnerability (language and cultural loss, fractured identity, and negative self-worth), and resilience (Indigenous identity, language and cultural renewal). Indigenous identity, culture, and language are intertwined and key determinants of health. Further studies about structural racism and a strong Indigenous identity as a protective factor may provide valuable insight into health disparities.