Métis

A Holistic View of Wellness

Métis health, traditional knowledge and healing practices have always been intertwined in the lives and experiences of Métis people in Canada. Traditional knowledge is the collective knowledge of the Métis people contained within their communities and passed down from generation to generation, through storytelling, observation and the sharing of experience. Using traditional medicine and understanding the importance of their connection to the land forms the basis of Métis culture, language and traditions.

There is very little known about the rates of mental illness among Métis. It is known that Métis often fare worse than their average Canadian counterparts on many indicators of health status where there is Métis-specific information available. It is also known that Métis fare worse than the average Canadian population on indicators of the broader determinants of health, including educational attainment, income, housing and culture.

Métis traditional knowledge, traditional health knowledge and healing practices are based upon a foundation of Métis culture and viewed by Métis to be fundamental to Métis health and contribute to individual well-being and community wellness. Participants at a policy forum on Métis health held in 2002 encouraged reflection upon the health of Métis, “to re-imagine Métis health... using everyday forms of knowing including intuition, oral history, natural environments, traditional knowledge, spiritual guidance, and stories” as “basic to informing Aboriginal people’s health.” Stories told by Métis tell us about a way of life based upon Métis experiences that identify relationships important to Métis health and to Métis as a people, where “without culture there can be no healing.”