One of my biggest passions is advocating for Indigenous health inequities. I see that our health care system (in Canada), has many gaps when it comes to caring for and understanding the needs of Indigenous people and communities. Even I am still learning and I recognize that each community and person may have different needs. Unfortunately, our current health care system oppresses, segregates, and stigmatizes Indigenous people either on purpose or for lack of understanding.We also lack cultural awareness and sensitivity in our approach to Indigenous healthcare.
This is a piece I created when I was having a very bad week in school. I tend to think a little differently from the modern, Western system I was taught and I at times I conflicted with its approach to care, especially for Indigenous people. So I came home and painted how I was feeling.
The two figures both represent myself with one looking into the sun, and one looking away. This represents my conflict with two ways of thinking (knowing) and trying to find a way to bridge those two ways into one. It took me a very long time to learn that I am not meant to bridge these two ways of thinking, but rather take a two-eyed seeing approach (http://www.integrativescience.ca/Principles/TwoEyedSeeing/ - Elder Albert Marshall) by walking a path that incorporates Indigenous knowing and other ways of knowing and respecting their sameness and differences without trying to merge them into one.
***16 X 20 Piece is currently located at Priest Mills Gallery in Cornwall, Ontario and is for sale****
https://www.facebook.com/PriestsMillArtsCentre/
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