In Indigenous communities, the longhouse is a sacred place of healing and teaching. It is an ideal setting for a new program offered by the Joint Collaborative Committees (JCCs) that provides a unique relationship building opportunity for physicians and local First Nation communities. The goal is to support physicians in providing culturally safe care by proactively addressing issues relating Indigenous Specific Anti Racism (ISAR) & Cultural Safety (CS) in the delivery of medical services.
The sessions are co-hosted by Len Pierre Consulting and local First Nation communities. Launched in the autumn of last year, attendees were welcomed into the longhouses of the Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo, Qualicum), Kwantlen (Langley, Surrey, Ridge Meadows), and Sts’Ailes (Mission, Abbotsford, Agassiz, Chilliwack) First Nations. At the sessions, participants were provided with a traditional Indigenous meal and listened to drumming and story sharing.
They learned about residential school trauma and the impacts that colonization has had on Indigenous Peoples in an impactful and experiential way. Cultural sensitivity, the history of colonization, and ways to provide safe and respectful care to Indigenous patients, were addressed in an intimate group setting.
The Kwantlen First Nation longhouse session – October 11, 2022 video(link is external) provides a moving and insightful look at the experience, which many participants found to be transformative. One attendee said: “I was expecting to learn about Indigenous culture, but wasn’t expecting to question and challenge my own beliefs. This is the most powerful cultural training I have received so far.”
