Indigenous rights, health and traditional medicine systems
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Date
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Volume Title
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World Health Organization
Abstract
Description
8 p.
Global health equity for Indigenous Peoples is closely linked to the preservation of Indigenous knowledge systems and sustained access to traditional medicine practices rooted in land, culture and community. This policy and practice analysis, grounded in the perspectives of Indigenous authors from diverse regions, examines how colonial legacies, including the erosion of land rights, limited self-determination and ongoing socio-political inequities, continue to undermine the intergenerational transmission and use of Indigenous traditional medicine systems . It outlines the structural, environmental and epistemological challenges affecting these systems, including climate change impacts, forced displacement and the marginalization of Indigenous knowledge within dominant biomedical frameworks. Drawing on cross-regional examples, the article highlights the importance of Indigenous data sovereignty, cultural safety and rights-based approaches to health policy. Case studies from Africa and South America illustrate the consequences of disrupted access to land and biodiversity for health and well-being. The analysis also examines Indigenous conceptualizations of health as a dynamic balance encompassing spiritual, social and ecological dimensions, emphasizing its interdependence with planetary health. Moving beyond integration models, the text underscores the need for equitable partnerships that respect Indigenous autonomy, while identifying the protection of rights, cultural revitalization and ecological stewardship as essential to sustaining Indigenous health systems and informing more holistic health approaches globally.
722
729
Global health equity for Indigenous Peoples is closely linked to the preservation of Indigenous knowledge systems and sustained access to traditional medicine practices rooted in land, culture and community. This policy and practice analysis, grounded in the perspectives of Indigenous authors from diverse regions, examines how colonial legacies, including the erosion of land rights, limited self-determination and ongoing socio-political inequities, continue to undermine the intergenerational transmission and use of Indigenous traditional medicine systems . It outlines the structural, environmental and epistemological challenges affecting these systems, including climate change impacts, forced displacement and the marginalization of Indigenous knowledge within dominant biomedical frameworks. Drawing on cross-regional examples, the article highlights the importance of Indigenous data sovereignty, cultural safety and rights-based approaches to health policy. Case studies from Africa and South America illustrate the consequences of disrupted access to land and biodiversity for health and well-being. The analysis also examines Indigenous conceptualizations of health as a dynamic balance encompassing spiritual, social and ecological dimensions, emphasizing its interdependence with planetary health. Moving beyond integration models, the text underscores the need for equitable partnerships that respect Indigenous autonomy, while identifying the protection of rights, cultural revitalization and ecological stewardship as essential to sustaining Indigenous health systems and informing more holistic health approaches globally.
722
729