Michael Bird, MSW, MPH, National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, 436-14th Street, Suite 1020, Oakland, CA 94610, 505-897-2529, mlittlebird@msn.com

Indigenous people in North American and across the globe share long histories of civil and human rights violations. In 1970, United States President Richard Nixon delivered the following statement to Congress which can be affirmed today about most indigenous populations in their respective homelands. He stated, “The first Americans - the Indians - are the most deprived and most isolate minority group in our nation. On virtually every scale of measurement - employment, income, education, health - the condition of the Indian people ranks at the bottom. This condition is the heritage of centuries of injustice. From the time of their first contact with European settlers, the American Indians have been oppressed and brutalized, deprived of their ancestral lands and denied the opportunity to control their own destiny.”

The author of this presentation will provide a historical context of indigenous people in North America, describe past and present health trends, and describe socio-economic conditions that perpetuate civil and human rights violations. The author will also provide similar information collected through interviews with public health leaders serving indigenous populations in the Pacific Islands, Central/South America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Finally, the author will explore the concept of dispossession, share common indigenous strengths and protective factors, and provide recommendations made by these public health leaders on survival and homeland defense.

Learning Objectives:

• Provide a framework on the historical context of American Indian/Alaska Native health
• Provide data on past and current health issues/trends of American Indians/Alaska Natives
• Identify parallels in history, health and socio-economic factors of indigenous people in the Pacific Islands, Central/South America, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
• Discuss the concept of dispossession as it relates to indigenous people.
• Provide recommendations from public health leaders serving indigenous populations.

Keywords: Indigenous Populations,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.