ABORIGINAL FAITH COMMUNITY

Health and Illness Beliefs

For Aboriginal people health holistic and is represented by balance in all aspects of life (physical,
mental, emotional, spiritual) based on the teachings of The Medicine Wheel.
Aboriginal traditional approaches to health and wellness include the use of sacred herbs (sweet
grass, sage, cedar, tobacco, etc.), traditional healers/medicine people (herbal medicine), and elders who
are recognized, respected, and utilized as an integral part of the healing journey.
Western medicine and traditional healing practices are both embraced as enhancing and
complementing healing
Diet
Generally, Aboriginal people do not have any religious/cultural dietary restrictions.

Do’s and Don’ts

 Sacred Ceremonial articles or objects (such as sweetgrass, sage, cedar, tobacco; medicine
pouches/bags; pipes; traditional blankets, etc.) are not to be handled without permission.
 Include the immediate family in medical treatment decision-making.
 Interpreters may be needed for elderly patients whose only
 Language is their mother tongue.
 Recognition and respect of Aboriginal Elders as spiritual leaders representing their communities
as traditional ceremonialists/healers.
 Accommodate spiritual practices such as smudging ceremonies (e.g., burning of sweetgrass) for
patients with limited mobility or who are critically ill or dying
 Respect for, and inclusion of, if possible, traditional herbal medicine with western medical
treatment in collaboration with patients, families, and physicians.
 • Abortion is generally not acceptable unless the life of the mother is at stake (individual/family
decision).
 Preventative birth control is a personal decision.
 Also, recognize that because of Canada’s colonial history and the influence of Christianity
blended religious/ spiritual traditions exist among Aboriginal people.