Indigenous Peoples and Diabetes: Community Empowerment and Wellness (Ethnographic Studies in Medical Anthropology) (Ethnographic Studies in Medical Anthropology)

Indigenous Peoples and Diabetes is a bold attempt to reframe the meaning of diabetes mellitus as a socio-political disorder from the perspective of indigenous peoples, community workers, medical anthropologists, and health professionals working and/or living in North America, Latin America, the Arctic, Australia, and the Indian Ocean. The anthology discusses the effects of social history on the etiology and epidemiology of type 2 diabetes within indigenous experiences of cultural expansionism and colonial occupation. Indigenous narratives about the right to food, health, emotional experience, and the importance of networks of solidarity provide reflective critiques on community wellness, empowering individuals to regain control of their health, spiritual knowledge, and emotional liberty. Innovative programs to combat the diabetes epidemic and promote physical and emotional wellness are discussed in detail, such as the Mino-Miijim Good Food for the Future program on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota; the Kahnawake School Diabetes Prevention Project developed in the Kanien'keh??:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake, near Montreal, Canada; and the Cultural Rebuilding Project at the Potawot Health Village in northern California.