Poster Session 4: Clinical Medicine, Dentistry and Public Health

Thursday, July 23 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Location: Legacy

Tiana Uriarte
CSU Stanislaus
Presentation 1
Traditional Healing Practices Among Native Americans in California: Forms, Functions, and the Self
American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities have been severely underrepresented in the American healthcare system for centuries. The biomedical field continues to advance without adequate knowledge of Indigenous health and healing practices, while the Native American population battles with assimilation and the loss of generational healing knowledge. To gain further insight on these challenges, this research will take a trilateral approach. It will examine what forms of healing that the Indigenous population in California are using, how this affects their perception of self, and how the integration of ethnomedicine and biomedical treatments can enhance Indigenous health. Qualitative data will be utilized and collected through semi-structured interviews, surveys, and participant observation. It is expected that the integration between ethnomedicine and biomedicine will result in satisfactory health. Younger participants are also expected to report a lower usage of Native healing modalities. By examining the intersections between ethnomedicine and biomedicine among the Indigenous community, public health strategies and Western medical systems can be more effective and culturally competent.