As a show of accountability to Indigenous patients and as a show of reconciliation, Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) in Alexandria has unveiled art at the hospital which respects traditional Indigenous beliefs and practices.
The painting, called All Good Things Are Medicine, was created by Dawn lehstoseranón:nha (She keeps/protects the feathers). She is Akwesasronon (Akwesasne) KanienKéha’ka (Mohawk) WakhsKare:weke (Bear Clan).
The artist is a survivor of the Sixties Scoop where Indigenous children were taken by the state at birth and adopted by non-Indigenous families. She is dedicated to presenting endangered traditions through her art. The work unveiled at HGMH aims to convey the relationships between Indigenous and western medicine.
HGMH Chief Executive Officer Robert Alldred-Hughes said the art is an expression of personal accountability by hospital staff to serving Indigenous, Inuit, and Métis people across Ontario.
Alldred-Hughes said preparation for the artwork began one and a half years ago through discussions with people in the local Indigenous community about ways to break down barriers between health care providers and Indigenous patients.
“We’re unveiling art today that speaks to the health of Indigenous peoples,” he remarked.
Alldred-Hughes said the initiative has also helped him reconnect to his own Indigenous identity.
HGMH staff are receiving cultural safety training so they may better understand the preferences of Indigenous patients.
lehstoseranón:nha explained that there is sometimes apprehension and skepticism among Indigenous patients at hospitals, and the idea of what is medicine. She explained medicine as anything that is good and how that resulted in the inspiration for the art now on display at HGMH.
Dawn lehstoseranón:nha unveiling All Good Things Are Medicine. Photos: James Morgan
