Molecular Decolonization: An Indigenous Microcosm Perspective of Planetary Health

Redvers, Nicole; Yellow Bird, Michael; Quinn, Diana; Yunkaporta, Tyson; Arabena, Kerry

doi:10.3390/ijerph17124586

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Molecular Decolonization: An Indigenous Microcosm Perspective of Planetary Health

^1,2,3,*

⁴,

⁵,

⁶

and

Kerry Arabena

⁷

Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA

Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2N5, Canada

InVIVO Planetary Health, of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), New York, NJ 10704, USA

⁴

Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada

⁵

Centre for Mindful Decolonization, University of Manitoba Faculty of Social Work, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada

⁶

National Indigenous Knowledge Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia

⁷

First 1000 Days Australia, Riddells Creek, VIC 3431, Australia

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4586; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124586

Received: 30 May 2020 / Revised: 23 June 2020 / Accepted: 23 June 2020 / Published: 25 June 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Planetary Health: From Challenges to Opportunities for People, Place, Purpose and Planet)

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Abstract

Indigenous peoples are resilient peoples with deep traditional knowledge and scientific thought spanning millennia. Global discourse on climate change however has identified Indigenous populations as being a highly vulnerable group due to the habitation in regions undergoing rapid change, and the disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality already faced by this population. Therefore, the need for Indigenous self-determination and the formal recognition of Indigenous knowledges, including micro-level molecular and microbial knowledges, as a critical foundation for planetary health is in urgent need. Through the process of Indigenous decolonization, even at the smallest molecular scale, we define a method back to our original selves and therefore to our planetary origin story. Our health and well-being is directly reflected at the planetary scale, and we suggest, can be rooted through the concept of molecular decolonization, which through the English language emerged from the ‘First 1000 Days Australia’ and otherwise collectively synthesized globally. It is through our evolving understanding of decolonization at a molecular level, which many of our Indigenous cultural and healing practices subtly embody, that we are better able to translate the intricacies within the current Indigenous scientific worldview through Western forms of discourse. View Full-Text

Keywords: planetary health; Indigenous health; climate change; environmental health; ecology; health equity; knowledge translation; environmental stewardship; microbiome

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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MDPI and ACS Style

Redvers, N.; Yellow Bird, M.; Quinn, D.; Yunkaporta, T.; Arabena, K. Molecular Decolonization: An Indigenous Microcosm Perspective of Planetary Health. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4586. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124586

AMA Style

Redvers N, Yellow Bird M, Quinn D, Yunkaporta T, Arabena K. Molecular Decolonization: An Indigenous Microcosm Perspective of Planetary Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(12):4586. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124586

Chicago/Turabian Style

Redvers, Nicole, Michael Yellow Bird, Diana Quinn, Tyson Yunkaporta, and Kerry Arabena. 2020. "Molecular Decolonization: An Indigenous Microcosm Perspective of Planetary Health" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 12: 4586. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124586

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