The Power of Indigenous Love: Unveiling the Heart of Harm Reduction
Part 1 of Unearthing the Untold Origins: The Radical Legacy of Harm Reduction in BIPOC Communities
Photograph of indigenous elder man, brown face, long dark brown hair looking down. Wearing indigenous manta clothing and a beige hat with a pointy end. He is carrying a bag across his shoulder and is in front of a large green palm tree.
"Indigenous Harm Reduction is Love" Wanda Whitebird
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"Indigenous Harm Reduction is Love" Wanda Whitebird 〰️
In recent years, harm reduction has become closely associated with drug use, primarily due to the public health response to the escalating opioid overdose crisis. The widespread dissemination of Narcan, test strips, and wound care supplies has become the face of harm reduction for many. When searching for "harm reduction" on social media platforms, it becomes evident that there is an overrepresentation of white volunteers and workers within the discourse. The history of harm reduction is often portrayed as originating from the 1980s HIV/AIDS pandemic, which marked a significant turning point in the approach to public health and risk reduction strategies. However, it is important to acknowledge that harm reduction has roots that extend far beyond the HIV/AIDS pandemic, reaching back to indigenous cultures. These historical beginnings of harm reduction are often overlooked and marginalized, casting a shadow on the rich Black, indigenous, and people of color heritage and diverse practices that have shaped this approach over the centuries.
Harm reduction practices and philosophies have been deeply ingrained in indigenous worldviews long before European contact. Indigenous thought encompasses a diverse spectrum of beliefs, values, and knowledge systems that are shaped by the distinct cultures, histories, and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples worldwide. While Indigenous thought defies a universal definition, it is characterized by certain shared elements that emerge across various Indigenous communities and contexts.
Indigenous societies embraced holistic approaches to well-being, which included mental health, without resorting to carceral or punitive measures. Instead, they recognized the importance of understanding and supporting individuals in their healing journeys, emphasizing community care, and fostering a sense of belonging and interconnectedness. Indigenous societies depended on spiritual and ceremonial practices, connection to nature, medicine people and healers, herbs and naturally occurring psychedelic compounds, and tribal support systems, as ways to cope and support those with mental health issues. Unfortunately, these indigenous perspectives on mental health have often been overshadowed, disregarded, or made illegal in the dominant Western discourse.
Harm reduction became a vital strategy for many indigenous societies to survive amidst the violence of colonialism. In the face of oppressive and destructive colonial forces, indigenous communities had and continue to adapt and develop practices that minimize harm and promote resilience. Harm reduction became not only a means to address immediate risks and dangers but also a way to preserve cultural identity, protect traditional knowledge, and safeguard the well-being of individuals and communities. By embracing harm reduction, indigenous societies demonstrate remarkable resilience and resistance against the violence imposed upon them, forging paths of survival and strength in the face of colonial oppression. Recognizing and honoring this enduring legacy of harm reduction is essential in the ongoing pursuit of justice and healing for indigenous communities.
Harm reduction beliefs and practices have been passed down through generations, carrying the weight of ancestral wisdom among indigenous communities. For some indigenous people, harm reduction is seen as a form of ancestral work, rooted in the resilience and survival strategies of their ancestors. These intergenerational teachings and practices reflect the deep understanding that harm reduction is not merely a contemporary concept, but an integral part of indigenous care and love.
Emma from the Native Youth Sexual Health Network highlights that the essence of harm reduction lies in our understanding of connection. In contrast, Western psychiatry tends to deprioritize human connections by focusing on modalities and metrics to gauge human improvement. Leslie Spillet (Cree from Cumberland House and Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Red River Metis) further emphasizes that programs alone cannot heal individuals; it is people who heal people. Harm reduction, then, becomes a transformative process of deconstructing power dynamics and reconstructing kinship bonds.
Krysta Marie from the Native Youth Sexual Health Network says, "It (harm reduction) was never supposed to be confined to injection drug use or substance use. It's been a way of looking at the world and practicing care where people are experiencing many forms of violence." In the broader context, harm reduction encompasses more than just a mechanical approach aimed at assisting communities. It embraces a compassionate perspective that seeks to address the root causes of harm and promote overall well-being, acknowledging the interconnectedness of individuals, communities, and the broader social fabric.
By acknowledging and honoring the ancestral wisdom inherent in harm reduction and resisting the reduction of harm reduction to a purely biomedical model focused solely on individual change, we pay tribute to the invaluable contributions of Black, indigenous, and people of color communities that have shaped and enriched this approach for centuries. It is crucial to recognize the interlocking systems and factors that lead communities to harm, ensuring a comprehensive understanding that goes beyond individual actions.
The journey of harm reduction takes us beyond the narrow confines of its association with drug use and brings us face to face with the profound legacy it carries. Indigenous cultures have long understood and practiced harm reduction, rooted in their holistic approaches to well-being, connection to nature, and spiritual traditions. Their resilience in the face of colonial violence has shaped harm reduction as a means of survival, cultural preservation, and resistance.
