Work

Overcoming Colonial Subjugation, Privileging Indigenous Health

Year: 2026

Type: book-chapter

Abstract: Overcoming Colonial Subjugation, Privileging Indigenous Health tracks the historical trauma of American Indians and Alaskan Natives following European contact. By exploring the harms of reservation structures, forced relocation, dispossession, assimilation, and boarding school abuses, this chapter exposes the devastation caused by colonial policies. But resilience, resistance, and well-being also emerge, shifting the narrative from pathology to promise. Honoring the culture, knowledge, worldview, and wellness practices embedded in Indigenous cultures, and empowering these original inhabitants with financial and political support, fosters revitalized communities. Their physical, mental, and emotional health depend on self-governance, a spiritual connection to the land, and thriving intergenerational relationships.

Source: Oxford University Press eBooks

DOI: 10.1093/9780197819876.003.0008

Authors: Rachel E Wilbur, Miigis B Gonzalez, Stephanie Russo Carroll, Jill M Doerfler, Jillian Fish, Michelle Kahn-John, Victoria M O’Keefe, Myra Parker, Thomas D Sequist, Carly Chiwiwi, Tonya M Connor, Liz Contreras, Tara L Maudrie, Melissa L Walls, Joseph P Gone

Institutions: Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, Diné College, Cherokee Nation, Pueblo of Laguna

Language: English

Topic: Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W7162532560

FWCI: 35.86

Cites: 79

Cited by: 1

Related to: 10