Developed by Seabourne Consulting, experts in Native Americans and First Nations

Native Americans and First Nations


“Native Americans” is a phrase used to describe a diverse array of Indigenous peoples in North, Central, and South America. Additionally, “First Nations” is a term that refers to any of the many groups of Indigenous people of Canada, though it may also be used to refer to the Indigenous peoples of any country or continent. Though referring to Native people by their specific tribal name is preferred, the terms “Native American,” “First American,” “American Indian,” “Native,” and “Indigenous” are considered acceptable and are used interchangeably to describe Indigenous communities in what is now the continental United States. Generally, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians are named explicitly. Because racial and ethnic identities are deeply personal and are constantly evolving, terminology is a matter of individual preference and should be treated as such. 


Native Americans have contributed to society in countless ways, including the invention of 21st century necessities like baby bottles and syringes, and military service in World War II. However, Native American people have also been consistently oppressed, exploited, and excluded since European colonization of the Americas began in 1492. In the time since colonization began, Native people have been subjected to biological warfare, forced sterilization, and genocide—among other atrocities—at the hands of white colonizers. Ideas central to the American zeitgeist, like “manifest destiny,” are rooted in the erasure of Indigenous people and culture. The belief that white, Christian people were entitled to all land between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans resulted in as much as 99% of Native land being stolen. As a result, Indigenous people have been forcibly removed from their homes and relocated, either onto low-resource reservations or assimilated into cities. Ongoing trauma from historical and modern injustices have left many Indigenous people with poor mental health and substance dependency. Native people who are economically poor, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+/Two Spirit are even more likely to struggle to thrive due to the compounding marginalizations they experience. 


In recent years, the practice of forcibly separating Native children from their families and requiring them to attend residential schools has gained attention through discovery of mass graves at former residential school sites in Canada and the United States. Native children endured physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at such schools, where their culture and language were prohibited. Indigenous people have also been on the forefront of the environmental and climate justice movements, though they remain the most under-represented in the scientific and academic communities.


Achieving health equity and racial justice for Native Americans requires deeply uprooting racist systems that perpetuate their exploitation and abuse. Institutionalizing and operationalizing equity and justice throughout all leadership levels of all sectors will require organizations, allies, and systems to genuinely center and follow the leadership of people with lived experience. Community-led processes, self-representation, and centering the voices of Native people are a few effective tactics that communities can leverage to advance equity and well-being for Native Americans and First Nations. 


  

Resources & Tools


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Return Lands to Indigenous Native Populations
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by WIN Network
Published on 10/28/2021
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Native Americans with Diabetes
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by CDC
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Healthy Tribes
Resource - Website/webpage
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Native Language Immersion Initiative
Resource - Website/webpage
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Indigenous Health Equity
Resource - Report
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Beyond Land Acknowledgement: A Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
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NCAI Policy Research Center: Data Disaggregation
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by National Congress of American Indians
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Decolonizing the Mind
Resource - Webinar
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Native Americans: A Crisis in Health Equity
Resource - Journal Article
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Indian Health Service: Fact Sheets
Resource - Data Bank/repository
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Disaggregating American Indian and Alaska Native Data: A Review of Literature
Resource - Report
Brought to you by National Congress of American Indians
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The Indigenous Futures Storytelling Project
Resource - Website/webpage
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Racial Trauma
Resource - Website/webpage
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Minority Rights: Native Americans
Resource - Website/webpage
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Urban Indian HIV and AIDS
Resource - Website/webpage
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Why Food Sovereignty Matters
Resource - Website/webpage
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Native Land Digital 2019 Teacher’s Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
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Firearm Deaths Grow, Disparities Widen
Resource - Journal Article
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Alaska Native Knowledge Network
Resource - Website/webpage
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Land Reparations and Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by RG
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Decolonize Data
Resource - Journal Article
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Bureau of Indian Affairs: Maps and Data
Resource - Data Bank/repository
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Indigenous Environmental Network
Resource - Website/webpage
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Native American Activism: 1960s to Present
Resource - Website/webpage
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Focus Population: Native Americans
Resource - Fact Sheet
Brought to you by Well Being Trust
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Indigenous Evaluation
Resource - Website/webpage
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Rural Tribal Health
Resource - Website/webpage
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Improving the Well-Being of Native Older Adults and Their Caregivers
Story - Written
Brought to you by CDC Foundation
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Voluntary Land Taxes
Story - Written
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Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movements Are Taking Back Ancestral Land
Story - Written
Brought to you by Civil Eats
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Returning the Land
Story - Written
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Gather
Story - Video
Brought to you by First Nations Development Insitute
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Promoting Health Equity in Rural Communities
Story - Written
Brought to you by ChangeLab Solutions
Published on 12/13/2022
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First Nations
Story - Written
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My Tribal Area
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Staff Pick!
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First Nations Food Sovereignty Assessment Tool
Tool - Toolkit/toolbox
Published on 01/15/2008
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Tribal Land COVID-19 Data
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
Staff Pick!
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Native Land
Tool - Data/mapping Tool
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Native American Labor Market Dashboard
Tool - Data/mapping Tool

Data & Metrics


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BIPOC Health Equity Library
Library
Published on 09/27/2022
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Indigenous Knowledge Library
Library
Published on 08/04/2022

 Related Topics


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Environmental Racism

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Food Sovereignty

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Decolonization

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Racial Justice

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Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

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Health Equity

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Indigenous Knowledge

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Reproductive Justice

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Culturally Appropriate Foods