“We dreamed of saving lives, and we worked to make that dream come true.” These are the words Dr. Carson Gardner, White Earth Tribal Health Department Medical Director, shared during an interview with CDC about the remarkable success the White Earth Public Health team experienced with vaccinating their fellow community members – The White Earth Nation of Ojibwe.
White Earth Nation is one of eleven tribes in the state of Minnesota. The White Earth Band of Ojibwe (White Earth Nation) is Minnesota’s largest and most populous reservation, encompassing 1,300 square miles and serving as the homeland for over 20,000 band members. Tribal members call themselves the Anishinaabeg (plural), meaning “the people.” Anishinaabe principles and philosophies that shape the Anishinaabe way of life also shaped the White Earth Nation’s pandemic response. When the tribe received its first supply of COVID-19 vaccine, they blessed the vaccine, with full support of the Tribal Council. Chairman Michael Fairbanks of the Tribal Council was the first to be vaccinated—showing the people of White Earth that the vaccine was safe.
Cultural heritage and spiritual values are central for the White Earth Nation. The community responded positively to the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel being adapted for use as a COVID-19 risk indicator tool on social media. Tribe Cultural Division Director, Merlin Deegan cleared use of the Medicine Wheel for the COVID-19 response, allowing a fusion of White Earth Anishinaabe culture, public health education, and spiritual respect. “When the Anishinaabeg tribe look at the Medicine Wheel, they are reminded of powerful healing medicine,” Gardner explains. In addition to cultural heritage and spiritual values, respect and care for elders is vital to the White Earth Nation. The White Earth Council of Elders tapped into this important value by posting videos online encouraging elders to get vaccinated and to follow CDC’s recommendations for vaccination. Print media, including the reservation’s The Anishinaabeg Today newspaper, and social media were also used to spread their message.
To read more of
Comments (0)