Medicine keepers: issues in indigenous health

Abstract

This paper examines issues of indigenous health with particular reference to North America and Australia. The authors, an indigenous woman and a non-indigenous male, present basic thoughts about indigenous health and exemplify their implications by referring to issues like land, nutrition, education, and women. Indigenous peoples view health and wellbeing in a comprehensive way, including spirituality and as such the amended WHO definnition of health reflects indigenous ways of dealing with health and wellbeing in the human community.