In the article ¨Sharing One's Skin¨ by Jenette Armstrong, how one defines community can be defined by using one's experiences, interpretations, and perspectives, each creating its own story to share. While reading the first article, ¨Sharing one's skin¨ by Jeanette Armstrong, four special selves of the Okanagan people are shared through a creative and unique perspective, incorporating both ties to the Okanagan people and their own belief system including their way of life.  The four selves include, the physical self, emotional self, the thinking self, intellectual self and the spiritual self. The Okanangans perspective carefully shares the details on how everything connects us  in life and how everything has a purpose. 

Armstrong, Jeanette. 1996 ¨Sharing Ones Skin: The Okanagen community¨ Pg. 460-470 in 

“How place names impact the way we see landscape¨, By B.Toastie

Memories and stories are connected to our land as described by B. Tostie in the article ¨How place names impact the way we see the landscape". To me, the landscape plays a huge role on how communities become ¨one¨. In B. Toasities article, place identity can be described as how the dimensions of self that define the individuals personal identity in relation to the physical environment, My interpretation of place identity refers to how one interacts within the community and enviornment around them. Referring back to the topic of the memories and stories connected to our land, I feel stories can be tied to landscape by acknowledging the land and producing an inner connection and experience that creates meaning within the community mind.

B. Toastie, ¨How place names impact the way we see landscape¨. May 1 2022. Pg. 1-7

In the article, “Kill every buffalo you can: on the cruelties of colonial power”, by Repa Mayra and Raj Patel, a very sad but true experience that many indigenous lives had to endure is shared. In the 11th century millions of buffalo were slaughtered in an attempt to eliminate indigenous lives and cultural practices. This affected the indigenous community greratly becasue the native people relied on the buffalo for their food, medicinem shelter and clothing. WIth the loss of buffalo, they were forced to adapt to a new diet which had a signficant decrease on the health and previous cultural following that many of the natives had.

In the article, “Struggling with cultural repression”, by National Musuem of American Indian, a strong story is shared about the drastic change in our Native American livees as many were forced into boarding schools and forced to learn a new way of life. As children were removed from their families and placed into these boarding schools they left everything with them including their tradition and culture. From this change they had to endure, their lives and routines changed drastically in the government's attempt to erase indigenous people completely. Many native children were removed from their families and homes, a lot of their traditional knowledge and practices were lost and they were introduced to a new way of life. This included the introduction to western medicine and new foods that were only decreasing their health even more.

In the article, “How native american diets shifted european colonization”, by Lois Ellen Frank, Frank gives an insight on the before and after effects that european arrival had on native americans and their way of life. Native diet was strongly based on nothing but wild and self gathered and hunted foods. This type of traditional diet was extremely healthy and was also very beneficial for their health. Upon the arrival of the European settlers, they brought their own type of cuisine and introduced the natives to it as well. These rations consisted of lard, flour, sugar and canned meat which has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes especially among the native communities. The native diet was drastically changed and a lot of the traditional foods were lost and no longer being used.

Flower Hill Insitute is a program that was created for the benefit of many Native Communities within New Mexico who are striving to preserve agriculture, tradition, and various wild native foods. There have been many oppurtunites created within pueblo communities as well as youth summits based on food and agriculture preservation.

New Mexico State University research group has dedicated their findings to understand how plant physiology and chemistry are involved in making the foods that we consume medicinal. So far this research group has studied and focused on the relationship between food, nutrition, medicine, culture and spirituality.

Tomas Enos a New Mexican local, has dedicated his career to use blend academic and holistic experiences to become an expert in harvesting plants for medicinal uses. Enos has founded his own business selling natural products within Santa Fe, NM. Enos feels that it is important to believe that you could improve your life naturally. 

In connection with medicinal healing and its background, "Revival of traditional medicine of Mexico", we learn the significance of Curanderismo and the importance that this healing holds within the mexican culture. With the continuous use of medicinal healing has created an influence to revive this alternative way of healing to integrate a more holistic approach to better healthcare and well being. 

Focusing on this article "Traditional Medicine past, present, future" by the African Journal of Medicine, the significance of traditional medicine in rural communities who struggled to gain access or benefit from using pharmaceuticals is shared from an interesting perspective that is informative and focuses on the healthcare state in different rural communities.

A clear viewpoint of various cultures who each have their own ties to traditional medicine have continued to carry their knowledge for many generations. With the increased usage of traditional and natural medicine, it occured that many patients now have a choice between different medicinal treatments, proving a positive outcome on approval for incorporating holistic  medicines into treatment plants.