Abstract:

Colonialism disconnects Indigenous peoples from their Ancestral lands and waters, which significantly impacts Indigenous Peoples’ spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental wellness (Adelson, 2005; Richmond & Ross, 2009). In Canada, the settler state has designed legal and jurisdictional barriers that continue to restrict access to land and prevent land from being returned to Indigenous Peoples, thereby ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ wellness remains vulnerable to the effects of colonialism (Kim, 2019; Tomiak, 2017).