Wisdom Engaged
Traditional Knowledge for Northern Community Well-Being
La description
Wisdom Engaged shows how traditional knowledge, Indigenous approaches to healing, and the insights of Western bio-medicine can complement each other when all voices are heard in a collaborative effort to address changes to Indigenous communities’ well-being. In this collection, voices of Elders, healers, physicians, and scholars are gathered in an attempt to find viable ways to move forward while facing new challenges. The book provides a critical conversation about the nature of medicine; a demonstration of ethical commitment; and an example of building successful community relationships.
Reviews
"Wisdom Engaged examines the different aspects of traditional knowledge and its usage in daily routines that support a healthy lifestyle… Readers will encounter rich evidence of the interconnectivity that Indigenous peoples’ well-being has with traditions, communities, and culture…. [Editor Leslie Main Johnson] accomplishes her goal: to center traditional knowledge in exploring methods to advance individual and community health as well as healing in northwestern North American Indigenous communities. All those interested in traditional knowledge, Western biomedicine, or Indigenous and environmental health should read this compelling book.”
- Kathie Beebe, Native American and Indigenous Studies Journal, Spring 2022
“This superb volume focuses on “the role of traditional knowledge” in “healing and health” and “the interrelated web of traditions, culture, communities and wellbeing” among Indigenous communities in Northern Alberta, BC, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska. Editor Leslie Johnson, a professor emerita of anthropology at Athabasca University, brings academics, elders and traditional healers together in a book highlighted by first-hand accounts such as that by Celina Harpe-Cooper, an elder in For McKay whose discussion of cranberry picking sharply reveals the local impacts of oil sands development.” AlbertaViews, July/Aug 2020
"[Wisdom Engaged] gives compelling evidence that Indigenous health is fundamentally tied to land, language, and culture…. Wisdom Engaged shows that decolonisation means a return to Indigenous peoples of the power they once had over their own health and well-being. This is a crucial first step on the long road to reconciliation.” Jeff Kochan, Canadian Dimension Magazine, November 2019
"This text will be of value to novice readers seeking an entry point to learn more about indigenous traditional healing practices. Summing Up: Recommended." S. Perreault, CHOICE Magazine, July 2020