Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community

Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

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In this article Jeanette Armstrong describes her life being an Okanagan woman and the roles and responsibilities she has to uphold. She explains that she is tethered to mother nature, “I cannot be separated from my place or my land.” She then goes on saying without a deep connection to the environment, confusion and chaos will enter. She also explains that the human body has four capacities which are physical self, emotional self, thinking intellectual self, and spiritual self. She also implies the importance of family and community. Jeanette engages different people.

Native American Identity

Horse (Kiowa), P.G. (2005), Native American identity. New Directions for Student Services, 2005: 61-68.

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This article describes the change in Native American culture/identity. It explains how Native Americans have been assimilated into the “dominant culture” which is the “white man’s world.” This article addresses the issue of the loss of language and culture. It also describes the use of blood-quantum to determine how native a person is. Overall this article is meant to show the oppression we have faced from the white man’s hands.

How Families Matter for Health Inequality During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thomeer, Mieke Beth, Jenjira Yahirun, and Alejandra Colón‐López. "How Families Matter for Health Inequality during the COVID‐19 Pandemic." Journal of Family Theory & Review (2020) ProQuest. 5 Feb. 2021

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In this article, it discusses the framework of families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It also emphasizes how the framework is viewed as a dynamic rather than statistics. The article talks about the multigenerational households during the pandemic. It explains how COVID-19 exposure and transmission are more heightened in these households.

The article also talks about the three primary tenants that families face (health-wise) during the pandemic. The first primary tenant is family-based health disparities, which explains how family structures shape the health outcomes and disparities. “Correlations between family and health outcomes...which should lead us to be cautious in interpreting the links between family and health.” The second tenant is the role of public policies, organizational decisions, and concurrent events. In this tenant, it explains how specific health impacts result from family ties during the pandemic. It also explained the ways public policies have positive and negative health and health disparities among family ties. The third tenant is family embedded within other socio-demographic-based health disparities. This tenant explains the health inequalities driven by racism, sexism, classism, and other oppressive societal forces.

The Past and the Future Are Now

Scott, Sascha T., and Amy Lonetree. "The Past and the Future are Now." Arts 9.3 (2020): 77. ProQuest. 5 Feb. 2021 .

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In this article, it takes us back to the past when the 1918 global pandemic hit indigenous communities. It explains how native people had the highest mortality rates of any other race at that time. “It was an intensification of a complete matrix of a health crisis that had long ravaged indigenous communities.” This happened because of racism, colonialism, violence, and oppression, indigenous people have faced for centuries. It then takes us to today’s COVID-19 pandemic and states there has been no change. “The past has everything to do with the present.” Native people are still facing the same hardships. Later in the article, it explains how native people are resilient and how we will be able to overcome this obstacle. “They have shaped the past, they shape the present, and they will continue to shape the future.”

The Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1920 among the Navajos

Brady, Benjamin R., and Howard M. Bahr. "The Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1920 among the Navajos." American Indian Quarterly 38.4 (2014): 459,491,547. ProQuest. 19 Feb. 2021 .

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The first part of the article talks about how the 1918 influenza pandemic took many lives. It was the most widespread event in history. The most affected people were the Native American population. “Native Americans suffered hideously, with mortality rates four times higher than the wider population.” This is true because native people have had a lack of exposure to harmful diseases. This is why there have been so many deaths. It also talks about how the mortality rate varies by the tribe. “Less than 1 percent of the Native Americans of Oklahoma, Wyoming...died from influenza, compared to the 4-6 percent in Arizona, Colorado…” It is also said that demographic and socioeconomic factors played a role in the mortality rate. The influenza was atypical, meaning it killed young, old, and healthy young people. Since the Native American population was poorer than most populations they were more likely to contract the flu. This is because they lacked access to medical care, food, and shelter.

The second part of the article talks about the Navajo experience with the 1918 influenza pandemic. It shows that it was one of the most fateful events in their history. The Navajo population had one of the highest mortality rates- it was as high as 10 percent. There was a lack of valuable sources when it came to the documentation of the deaths the Navajo population had. Because of a cultural preference, it was discouraged to talk about the dead. The article also talks about how influenza had spread throughout the population. “Their usual cultural response to illness was to call a medicine man…tended to spread the disease.” Because they were in a gathering this led to the spread of the flu. Another reason why the Navajo population had a high mortality rate was that they didn’t have effective medical services and medical resources. Though the Najavo population has faced hard times they persevered. “Considering the intersections of types of vulnerability exhibited by the Navajos, it is remarkable not that so many of them were lost but that so many survived."

SARS-CoV-2 in the Amazon region: A harbinger of doom for Amerindians

Sordillo, Emilia Mia, et al. "SARS-CoV-2 in the Amazon Region: A Harbinger of Doom for Amerindians." PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 14.10 (2020) ProQuest. 19 Feb. 2021 .

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This article talks about how European colonization has had an impact on the Amerindian inhabitants. When the Europeans came, they brought with them a variety of diseases and germs. Because native people had no immunity to the diseases they brought many of them got ill and died. “The introduction of novel infectious diseases may be the most devastating consequence of European colonization into the Americas, particularly in native indigenous communities...outcomes, increased mortality, and social unrest.” It also talks about how the Amerindians are still facing the same problems they did when the Europeans came with today’s current pandemic.

Auckland Locks Down After Three Positive Cases

Press, The Associated, director. Auckland Locks Down After Three Positive Coronavirus Cases. The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/video/world/100000007604614/auckland-coronavirus-lockdown.html?searchResultPosition=4

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On February 14, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden gave a press conference about the three positive COVID-19 cases in Auckland. During the press conference, she addressed New Zealand was on lockdown. Auckland was level 3 (high risk), and the rest of New Zealand was on level 2 (moderate risk) lockdown. She then explained the strict mandates that were going to take place. Such mandates were stay-at-home orders and physical distancing. In response to the positive cases, New Zealand also started doing genome sequencing and serology. These tests are vital in providing valuable information. These tests analyze the biology, evolution, and structure of the virus and discern mutations. In the end, she ensures the country to be safe, strong, and kind. “Remember we have been here before, that means we know how to get out of this again. And that is together.” This is a good way to address the current situation. Only with unity can we get through this.

Combating COVID-19: Health Equity Matters

Wang, Zhicheng, and Kun Tang. "Combating COVID-19: Health Equity Matters." Nature medicine 26.4 (2020): 458. ProQuest. 12 Mar. 2021 .

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In China, COVID-19 has caused global concern. China has had one of the highest fatality rates in the world. Efforts to keep the spread and fatality rates down there are variants that help with health equity. “Developing an equitable health system is at the core of the principles and goals for the healthy china...Ensuring equal treatment opportunities for all is key to winning this battle.” To reach this goal the Chinese government guaranteed and assured that all out-of-pocket medical expenses due to COVID-19 would be subsidized by the government. Timely treatment also plays a role in health equity.