Race-based mascots: Reflecting on university–community conversations

Two university art educators engaged in research to explore issues of race and representation through examining the histories of race-based mascots at their two Midwestern US universities. Collaborative inquiry allowed for reflective practice, dialogue and critical listening as part of extended conversations to examine the stereotyping of Indigenous1 culture and images with students and community members. Issues of race, representation, stereotyping and systemic racism were explored with university art education students, faculty and Myaamia citizens (Miami Tribe of Oklahoma) in a workshop setting. Conversations within the workshop aimed to extend understandings about the cultural and artistic traditions of the Miami Tribe and strengthen cross-institutional and community relationships. Post-workshop analysis of the collaborators’ correspondences was analysed to reveal three themes: relationships and voice, representation and acknowledgement. Reconciliation is discussed as ongoing and mutual effort involving a continuous process of critical reflection, listening and dialogue necessary for building relationships and to learn directly from Indigenous peoples.

Pedagogical and Personal Experiences Motivating Indigenous Students to Pursue Medical Studies

When it comes to accessibility to healthcare and medical education, inequalities prevail within ethnically diverse populations, especially among Indigenous Peoples. The main objective of this qualitative study was to explore how Indigenous female medical students’ motivations played a role in their pursuit of a medical career. We use the Self-Determination theory to frame this study and conduct individual open-ended interviews with four female Indigenous students’ regarding their motivational sources for applying to medical school. We provide an illustrative scenario for each identified motivational source through a thematic analysis. Results revealed two main sources of motivations: (Jones et al., Acad Med, 2019, 94 (4), 512–519) pedagogical experiences (i.e., contextual factors at school, academic interests, and opportunities) and (Sloof et al., Med Educ, 2021, 55 (5), 653) personal experiences (i.e., family support and influence, and future career prospects). Indigenous students’ personal experiences were more prevalent and described autonomous forms of motivations, whereas sources of motivation that were pedagogically oriented reflected more controlled forms of motivations. Different types of motivations can be useful, but not sufficient for the tipping point when the time comes for medical school applications. Learning about specialized Indigenous streams for admissions played the most influential role in students’ decision-making to pursue medical studies. Promoting the visibility of the Indigenous stream coupled with the identification of different forms of motivation could be informative when outlining evidence-based recommendations with the aim of improving inequalities within the health professions.

Mining Industry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Problems of Environmental and Social Security of Indigenous Peoples

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia; RS(Y)) is located in the northeast of Siberia (Russia) in the basins of the Lena, Yana, and Indigirka rivers, in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River. Yakutia is an industrial–agrarian republic with a developed mining, fuel, and energy industry. Indigenous peoples live mainly in the Arctic regions, where the large-scale development of mineral resources is planned, and South Yakutia, where the mining industry is well developed. The aim of this study is the development of methodological approaches to assessing the impact of the mining industry on the natural environment and the social sphere in the places of residence and traditional economic activities of the indigenous peoples of the North. We used the results of research work (R&D), materials of expeditionary work, and regulatory documents of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Russian Federation (RF). The state of the environment (ES) was assessed on the basis of the analysis of indicators for three areas: (a) anthropogenic load, (b) environmental and social consequences, and (c) resistance of natural complexes to technogenic impacts. In total, 22 indicators were used for the 3 areas, for example, population density, person/km2; the volume of extraction of rock mass, million m3; and emissions, t/year. To bring dissimilar indicators into comparable ones, we used a methodological approach with the use of the social risk index (SRI). In Arctic regions (mainly agricultural), the ES is in a favorable and relatively favorable state: SRI 0.61–0.70; in the central regions (mainly agricultural), it is satisfactory and relatively satisfactory: SRI 0.71–1.0; in the southern and western regions with a developed mining industry, it is relatively tense and tense: SRI 1.01–3.0. An extremely tense state of environmental conditions has developed in the city of Yakutsk: SRI ≥ 3. Generally, the deterioration of the environmental situation and vital activity of the indigenous peoples in investigated Arctic region correlated with the impact of the mining industry.

Pregnancy and childbirth in women from among the indigenous minorities of the north in the context of urbanization

Data on the health status of the population of the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North of Khanty and Mansi, who migrated to the city and changed the traditional nomadic way of life, are few and not systematized.The aim of the study was to study the course of pregnancy and childbirth among the indigenous peoples of the north who migrated and live in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra. An increase in the frequency of gynecological diseases was revealed: menstrual irregularities (in 38.5%), inflammatory diseases of the cervix (in 42.3%) and inflammatory diseases of the uterus (in 19.2%). Half of the observed women had gastritis (50%), cholecystitis (51.9%), every fourth cystitis (23.1%), anemia was diagnosed in every third in 30.8%. Pregnancy in women of the study cohort was often complicated by early toxicosis, anemia, gestational diabetes mellitus, threatening premature birth. Childbirth in pregnant women from among the indigenous small peoples of the north living in the city was complicated by anomalies in labor, indications for emergency operative delivery. This requires further study of the health status of the indigenous peoples of the north and the development of a health improvement program.Materials and methods. The course of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period was retrospectively analyzed in 168 women selected by the continuous sampling method. Women from the Khanty and Mansi KMNS living in the village of Berezovo, in the camps and in Khanty-Mansiysk were examined. Statistical processing was performed in the software package SPSS, Statistica 8.0, as well as using the Microsoft Excel analysis package.Results. The results of the study showed that the least number of deviations in the state of health were among women from the number of KMNS living in the village and in the camps and leading a traditional nomadic lifestyle. The course of pregnancy rarely had complications and 100% of women ended in spontaneous labor on time.Conclusion. The urbanization of women from among the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the north has an adverse effect on the state of somatic and reproductive health, characterized by a high frequency of gynecological diseases, pregnancy complications, labor anomalies and operative delivery.

Indigenous Trans-Systemic Research Approach

Indigenous trans-systemic approach is a lifelong unlearning and relearning process, with no endpoint. Indigenous peoples have long called for decolonizing minds so as to support self-determination, challenge colonial practices, and value Indigenous cultural identity and pride in being Indigenous peoples. Indigenous trans-systemic approach is also a political standpoint toward valuing and revitalizing Indigenous knowledge and methodologies while weeding out colonizer biases or assumptions that have impacted Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being. Drawing from Indigenous Participatory Action Research (IPAR), I explained how I learned the meanings of trans-systematic knowledge from Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-keepers.