Abstract

Despite colonization attempts at assimilation, the Kanien’kehá:ka at Kahnawake have been able to keep an extraordinary amount of culture and its teachings relatively intact. Recent discourse on Aboriginal resilience research has clearly shown that despite challenges and adversity, traditional methods of healing have persevered. Revitalization efforts of language, culture and traditional teachings are growing stronger and are contributing to the betterment of Indigenous communities. Contemporary research involving Indigenous mental health largely includes resilience, resurgence and the renewal of Indigenous traditional healing practices that combine both Indigenous healing methods with mainstream society’s psychological approaches offering more treatment choices amongst Canada’s Indigenous populations. There are challenges though. My thesis focuses on understandings of resilience through the revitalization of traditional ways of healing within Kahnawake’s public health and social services organizations. This qualitative research offers an insider’s anthropological view on Indigenous perspectives of healing and wellness practices around existing public health services, and that of traditional healers themselves. As an Indigenous researcher, I offer my own perspectives of healing through the sharing of my healing journey. While it has been suggested that integrating traditional ways of healing with mainstream Western approaches creates better choice, it must be said that the two systems can be most effective if they are recognized as parallel systems complementing each other.