Les Michif Aski ~ Métis and the Land. Perceptions of the Influence of Space and Place on Aging Well in Île-à-la-Crosse
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Degree Level
Doctoral
Abstract
Indigenous People in Canada are aging faster, experience more health challenges, and report higher rates of chronic conditions earlier in life compared to the general Canadian population. Métis older adults report lower health status than their First Nations counterparts. Indigenous People living in remote and northern rural communities are likely to experience unique health challenges and report poorer health status compared to those in urban centers. Indigenous lands provide vital resources that are essential for supporting the spiritual, mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of people. For many years Métis people have lived off their traditional lands for their livelihoods and cultural meanings, which have implications for their health and wellbeing. One area has received scant attention in a growing literature highlighting these disparities is aging. Little is known of the contribution of the land and place attachment on aging well among rural Indigenous people, and even less is known for the Métis people. The purpose of this research was to investigate Métis older adults’ relationship with their land, exploring their perceptions of the influence of space and place on aging well in Île-à-la-Crosse, a community in northern Saskatchewan, using Community-based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR).
Research strategies used in this thesis included a community-engaged research framework, with community members of Île-à-la-Crosse. Métis older adults (55 years and older) participated in semi-structured and spatial interviews to highlight their perceptions and attachment to their land and territory; to identify changes occurring on their land; and, to determine strategies specific to their northern Saskatchewan Métis community to age well. These strategies were complemented by Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
This project elicited participants’ unique sense of place and identified land-related supports and stressors that influence older Métis adults’ attachment to place and being well. Key themes include: (1) “Wuskiywiy-tan! Let’s Move!”: Staying busy, Staying active, (2) “The land connects and enriches us,” (3) “Tensions in our relationship with the land,” and (4) “We are Métis, We are the land, We are resilient.” Results reveal that Métis older adults have a strong and unique connection to their traditional lands (both within the community and the surrounding land) that supports their wholistic health and wellness, sense of social connection and connection to the past, and provides intergenerational mentorship and sharing of essential knowledge. Attachment to specific places and spaces on the land were clearly linked to perceptions of wellness and aging well in place. However, challenges, including geographic distance and colonization, continue to impact negatively on their health by directly and indirectly limiting access to the land. The findings also reveal that Métis older adults have developed culturally adaptive responses and advocacy to continue to access spaces and places which support them to age well in place. This study adds to the few studies on aging well for Indigenous People, especially Métis living in rural communities in Canada. These findings increase our understanding of space and place-related dimensions of aging well that can inform culturally sensitive and relevant interventions, services, and resources to be applied/considered by decision makers and healthcare practitioners to prolong the length of time Métis older adults can remain in their community to age well in a way that reflects the realities of life in modern Indigenous communities in Canada. This project is meaningful and has implications for Métis, First Nations, and Inuit older adults who desire to age well and in place locally, provincially, and nationally, and is also relevant to Indigenous populations internationally.
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Keywords
Indigenous People, Métis, older adults, aging well, land, place attachment, health and wellbeing
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Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Geography and Planning
Program
Geography