Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 26;20(17):6656. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20176656.
Indigenous peoples' perceptions of wellbeing differ from non-Indigenous constructs. Thus, it is imperative to recognize that Indigenous peoples will conceptualize wellbeing from their perspectives and set their own wellbeing priorities. In keeping with this viewpoint, the aims of the present study were to conceptualize wellbeing and determine what was (and is) important for wellbeing from Canadian Indigenous peoples' perspectives. In this paper, we take a partnership approach based on the elements of respect, equity, and empowerment. One primary data source and two existing data sources were examined and analyzed thematically utilizing a combination approach of deductive and inductive coding. Indigenous leadership and organizations viewed wellbeing holistically and conceptualized wellbeing multidimensionally. From across Canada, wellbeing was communicated as physical, economic, political, social, and cultural. The scaling of wellbeing represented a collectivist perspective, and land was the connecting thread between all types of wellbeing, being a place to practice cultural traditions, reassert one's Indigenous identity, find solace, and pass on Indigenous knowledge and languages. Although wellbeing was discussed in the context of the individual, family, community, and nation, wellbeing was most often discussed at the cultural level by regional and national Indigenous leadership and organizations. Even in acknowledging the great cultural diversity among Canadian Indigenous nations, four concordant themes were identified regionally and nationally, with respect to what was important for cultural wellbeing: land and water, sustainability, and inherent obligations; being on the land, and indigenous languages and knowledge systems; sustainable development; and meaningful involvement in decision-making, and free, prior, and informed consent. Taking into account these themes is foundational for any interaction with Indigenous peoples, especially in the context of land, culture, and development. There needs to be a new beginning on the journey to reconciliation with land and cultural wellbeing at the forefront.
原住民对幸福的理解与非原住民的概念不同。因此，必须认识到，原住民将从他们自己的角度来理解幸福，并确定他们自己的幸福优先事项。基于这一观点，本研究的目的是从加拿大原住民的角度来构思幸福，并确定什么是（和曾经是什么）对幸福重要的。在本文中，我们采取了一种基于尊重、公平和赋权要素的伙伴关系方法。我们检查了一个主要的原始数据来源和两个现有的数据来源，并利用演绎和归纳编码的组合方法对其进行了主题分析。原住民领导人和组织从整体上看待幸福，并从多维角度构思幸福。从加拿大各地来看，幸福被传达为身体、经济、政治、社会和文化方面的内容。幸福的衡量标准代表了一种集体主义观点，土地是所有类型幸福之间的联系纽带，是实践文化传统、重新确立自己的原住民身份、寻找慰藉以及传承原住民知识和语言的地方。尽管幸福是在个人、家庭、社区和国家的背景下讨论的，但幸福在文化层面上，特别是在区域和国家的原住民领导人和组织中，被讨论得最多。即使承认加拿大原住民民族之间存在巨大的文化多样性，在区域和国家范围内也确定了四个一致的主题，这些主题与文化幸福的重要性有关：土地和水、可持续性和固有义务；在土地上，以及原住民语言和知识系统；可持续发展；以及在决策中进行有意义的参与，以及自由、事先和知情同意。考虑到这些主题，对于与原住民的任何互动，特别是在土地、文化和发展的背景下，都是至关重要的。在与土地和文化幸福的和解之路上，需要有一个新的开始。
