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
Return Lands to Indigenous Native Populations
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by WIN Network
Published on 10/28/2021
Blood Politics, Ethnic Identity, and Racial Misclassification among American Indians and Alaska Natives
Resource - Journal Article
Destigmatizing Health Care: Trauma-informed Language for Treating People Who Use Drugs
Resource - Fact Sheet
Social Determinants of Health among Rural American Indian and Alaska Native Populations
Resource - Policy Brief
Decolonising Global Health in 2021: A Roadmap to Move from Rhetoric to Reform
Resource - Journal Article
Racial discrimination associated with higher diastolic blood pressure in a sample of American Indian adults
Resource - Journal Article
Effects of Substance Use Disorder Criminalization on American Indian Pregnant Individuals
Resource - Journal Article
NCAI Policy Research Center: Data Disaggregation
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by National Congress of American Indians
Stress and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk for Indigenous Populations throughout the Lifespan
Resource - Journal Article
Personal Experiences of U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minorities in Today’s Difficult Times
Resource - Report
Brought to you by RWJF
Investing in the Frontlines: Why Trusting and Supporting Communities of Color Will Help Address Gun Violence
Resource - Journal Article
Urban Indian Organization Profiles: Explore service areas and programs promoting urban Indian health
Resource - Website/webpage
Unfolding Futures: Indigenous Ways of Knowing for the Twenty-First Century
Resource - Journal Article
The Culture is Prevention Project: Adapting the Cultural Connectedness Scale for Multi-Tribal Communities
Resource - Journal Article
Developing an Indigenous Measure of Overall Health and Well-being: The Wicozani Instrument
Resource - Journal Article
Disaggregating American Indian and Alaska Native Data: A Review of Literature
Resource - Report
Brought to you by National Congress of American Indians
Addressing the Cycle of Inaction: A DrPH Student Perspective on the Decolonization of Public Health
Resource - Journal Article
Health disparities in American Indians/Alaska Natives: Implications for nurse practitioners
Resource - Journal Article
A Scoping Review of Decolonization in Indigenous-Focused Health Education and Behavior Research
Resource - Journal Article
Twenty Years of Research into the Health Impacts of Native-themed Mascots: A Scoping Review
Resource - Journal Article
Culture Writes the Script: On the Centrality of Context in Indigenous Evaluation
Resource - Journal Article
Racial and ethnic disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes in the United States
Resource - Journal Article
Health Conditions Before Columbus: Paleopathology of Native North Americans
Resource - Journal Article
Native American Ethnobotany: A Database of Foods, Drugs, Dyes and Fibers of Native American Peoples, Derived from Plants
Resource - Data Bank/repository
The Medicine Wheel Revisited: Reflections on Indigenization in Counseling and Education
Resource - Journal Article
Suicides Among American Indian or Alaska Native Persons — National Violent Death Reporting System, United States, 2015–2020
Resource - Report
Brought to you by CDC
Published on 09/16/2022
The Generational Impact Of Racism On Health: Voices From American Indian Communities
Resource - Journal Article
Three Levels of Autonomy and One Long-Term Solution for Native American Health Care
Resource - Journal Article
Health Care Access and Utilization for American Indian Elders: A Concept-Mapping Study
Resource - Journal Article
Best Practices in HIV Reporting and Data Collection in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Resource - Guide/handbook
A Transdisciplinary Approach is Essential to Community-based Research with American Indian Populations
Resource - Journal Article
Racialization as a Barrier to Achieving Health Equity for Native Americans
Resource - Journal Article
The Relationship of Self-Compassion and Suicide Risk Factors in American Indian/Alaska Native People
Resource - Journal Article
A Planning Guide for the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map for Indian Country
Resource - Guide/handbook
Leaving Legacies: Transforming College Campus Histories of Exclusion into Futures of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Improving the Well-Being of Native Older Adults and Their Caregivers
Story - Written
Brought to you by CDC Foundation
2023 Farm Bill: Advancing Public Health at the Intersection of Food, Environment, and Economic Policy
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Confronting Environmental Racism: Justice at the Intersections of Environment and Race
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
2014 RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winner: Taos Pueblo, New Mexico
Story - Written
Brought to you by RWJF
Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movements Are Taking Back Ancestral Land
Story - Written
Brought to you by Civil Eats
Seneca Nation of Indians (New York) 2017 RWJF Culture of Health Prize Winner
Story - Written
Brought to you by RWJF
Promoting Health Equity in Rural Communities
Story - Written
Brought to you by ChangeLab Solutions
Published on 12/13/2022
Parks for All People: Addressing Legacies of Racism, Displacement, and Exclusion in National Parks
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Gather: Screening Toolkit - A Guide to Help Plan Your Film Event in Your Community
Tool - Toolkit/toolbox
Data Genocide of American Indians and Alaska Natives COVID-19: Digital Toolkit
Tool - Toolkit/toolbox
Data & Metrics
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