January 2, 2025
ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TRADITIONAL TEACHINGS ABOUT HEALTHY LIVING adorn the sides of buses in Brandon, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, and Winnipeg as part of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization Inc.’s multi-media “Healthy Living Campaign”. The campaign focuses on seven themes:
- Food is Medicine
- Water is Medicine
- Movement is Medicine
- Community is Medicine
- Land is Medicine
- Culture is Medicine
- Knowledge is Medicine
Historic Transformation of Health Care
SCO represents 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota First Nations in what is now southern Manitoba—working to protect, preserve, promote, and enhance the inherent rights, languages, customs, and traditions of more than 88,000 citizens.
We are building a new healthcare system that embodies our holistic Anishinaabe and Dakota understandings of health. It is holistic and encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the individual, family, and community. This new, decolonized health care system will be called the Southern First Nations Health Authority (SFNHA) and is being created by First Nation people, for First Nation people. The creation of SFNHA is based on extensive community engagement. For more information and SCO’s recommendations on how to decolonize health care, read the Decolonization Report: Recognizing First Nations Sovereignty.
(“Health Transformation”, SCO webpage)
The SCO and Canada signed an Agreement-in-Principle on Health Governance on June 26, 2024.
“The signing of the Agreement-in-Principle is an important step we are taking with our Treaty partners to decolonize health care,” shared Chief Cornell McLean of the Lake Manitoba First Nation. “SCO is pleased to be the second entity in Canada to enter into an Agreement-in-Principle with Canada. There is an 11-year gap in life expectancy for First Nation citizens when compared with all others in Manitoba. It is critical that we provide safe, culturally supportive, and holistic care to our citizens to address this health inequity. The Southern First Nations Health Authority will have a governance structure that ensures our citizens and Nations lead decision-making and can guide the development of programs and services that are a priority for them.”
(“SCO and Canada Sign Historic Agreement-in-Principle on Health Governance”, SCO webpage)
Sharing Combined Wisdom and Knowledge with FNHA
The BC-based First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), which was the first (and until recently the only) provincial First Nations health authority in Canada, held a knowledge exchange with the SCO on July 25, 2024 in Vancouver. According to the FNHA’s website,
Many of the issues the SCO is facing in delivering high-quality wholistic health care to their First Nations communities echo those faced by the FNHA.
“During our health transformation journey, FNHA has adopted certain approaches but has also had to pivot and adapt along the way. We’re happy to share what we’ve learned,” said Richard Jock, the FNHA’s Chief Executive Officer.
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We acknowledge that the land on which we work is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.