Nel Wieman and Unjali Malhotra call for a “two eyed seeing” approach to healthcare, informed by both Indigenous and biomedical knowledge
In Canada, genocidal policies and systems have devastated Indigenous peoples’ determinants of health.1 For example, as a consequence of the Indian Reserve System many Indigenous peoples live in isolated areas with limited or no access to healthcare, education, or employment opportunities.2 Furthermore, the colonial legacy of anti-Indigenous racism is prevalent across Canada, including its healthcare systems, so many Indigenous people fear accessing healthcare services.34
One way to make healthcare more equitable and effective for Indigenous peoples is to incorporate their knowledge, beliefs, values, practices, medicines, and models of health and healing alongside those of western medicine in delivering healthcare. Known as “two eyed seeing,” this approach to healthcare sees from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of western knowledge, respectfully embracing both.5 Two eyed seeing acknowledges that Indigenous methods and treatments are as valid as those used in mainstream medicine, and it allows Indigenous peoples to be partners in their own healthcare (video 1).
Video 1 Ways of being: supporting self-care
Communities, Alliances & Networks
At the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) we advocate for and use the two eyed seeing approach in our work to improve healthcare programmes, services, and health outcomes for First …