Indigenous Peoples and Diabetes: Community Empowerment and Wellness - Mariana Leal Ferreira

Indigenous Peoples and Diabetes: Community Empowerment and Wellness Mariana Leal Ferreira ISBN 9780890895801

Indigenous Peoples and Diabetes offers a powerful reexamination of diabetes mellitus, presenting it not only as a medical condition but also as a socio-political issue. Drawing on the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, community workers, medical anthropologists, and health professionals from regions such as North America, Latin America, the Arctic, Australia, and the Indian Ocean, the anthology explores how historical and social forces shape the experience of diabetes in Indigenous communities. It examines how colonial expansion and cultural disruption have influenced the causes and patterns of type 2 diabetes. Through Indigenous narratives about food sovereignty, health, emotional well-being, and community solidarity, the book provides thoughtful reflections on community wellness and encourages individuals to reclaim control over their health, cultural knowledge, and emotional freedom.

The work challenges the common belief that Indigenous populations are naturally more vulnerable to degenerative diseases like diabetes due to genetics, diet, or lifestyle. Instead, the chapters shift attention toward the lasting effects of colonial and post-colonial histories, including displacement, systemic inequality, and cultural disruption, which have significantly shaped health outcomes among Indigenous Peoples.

The book also highlights innovative community-based programs designed to address the diabetes epidemic while promoting physical, cultural, and emotional well-being. Examples include the Mino-Miijim “Good Food for the Future” initiative on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, the Kahnawake School Diabetes Prevention Project in the Mohawk community near Montreal, and the Cultural Rebuilding Project at the Potawot Health Village in northern California. Throughout the anthology, the contributors emphasize a commitment to a “liberation medicine” approach, advocating that access to healthy food, respect for cultural traditions, and integrative healing practices should be recognized as fundamental human rights.

Indigenous Peoples and Diabetes: Community Empowerment and Wellness Mariana Leal Ferreira ISBN 9780890895801, 978-0890895801 & 9781531010652

Editors
Mariana Leal Ferreira
Gretchen Chesley Lang