Health and Native People in Northwest Territories

Excerpts from the Paper

Health and Native People in Northwest Territories
Native peoples who located in the Northwest Territories are part of the Native communities just below and within the Arctic Circle. There are many very different groups ranging from First Nations people and the 
Dene
 to the Inuit. These communities are isolated from one another and have very low socioeconomic status. As a result, Native people in the NWT have very little opportunity to organize since their isolation is an obstacle to empowerment. The people have been deeply affected by whites’ exploitation and especially by irresponsible mining practices (Webster, 2005). The problems related to destruction of the environment and to these peoples’ way of life are continuing. As a...

.....nfection than other people. Health promotion involves showing these people that they need not shun an ill person because of disease and that HIV is not a death sentence (Weaver). The best way to address prevention is to follow cultural traditions such as having elders discuss health issues with younger members of the community. Also, Native people respond much better to the spoken word in their own language rather than to written information (Weaver). It is especially important to include cultural factors in assessment and to implement culturally suitable interventions.
References
Weaver, H. (1999). Through indigenous eyes. Health and Social Work, 24(1), 27-35.
Webster, P. (2005). Health in the Arctic Circle. The Lancet, 365(9461), 741-742.