Decolonization

Decolonization is the process of achieving health equity by addressing and reversing the negative, ongoing impacts of colonization. For many countries, this process begins with becoming independent of the colonizing country through achieving statehood, and continues through uprooting social, psychological, economic, environmental, and other impacts of colonization. However, in the United States and similar places that experienced settler colonialism (a form of colonialism where Indigenous peoples were systematically replaced by settlers forming permanent societies), independent statehood was achieved by white settlers, which deepened colonialism, rather than the beginning of independence and autonomy. For these countries, decolonization involves a deeper, more complex dismantling of structural power and privilege.


All peoples and cultures have the right to existence, autonomy, and self-determination. The process of colonization in the Americas resulted in the deaths of 56 million Indigenous peoples (90% of the Indigenous population and 10% of the global population at the time), the largest event of mass death—by global population percentage—in human history. In the United States, settler colonialism continues to perpetuate the impacts of Indigenous genocide through ongoing power systems that repress and deny the inherent rights and value of Indigenous communities. The same colonial practices and systems designed to erase and repress Indigenous peoples also create and reinforce hierarchies of race, gender, orientation, ability, age, religion, language, socioeconomic status, and legal status that negatively impact all marginalized people and our entire society as a whole.


Today, decolonization efforts by Indigenous activists, scholars, and community leaders are restoring power, health, and well-being to Indigenous communities. Indigenous people and allies with intersectional identities (such as Two Spirit people, queer Indigenous people, and disabled Indigenous people) are also leveraging decolonization theory and practice to advance health equity for all Americans by uprooting oppressive power structures and building new, equitable, just systems. 


Despite significant grassroots and community-based efforts to reverse the ongoing effects of colonization, more is needed to address the United States’ legacies of inequity at the institutional, systemic, and cultural levels. Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives often struggle with missing, low-quality, and inaccurate data regarding their communities, as well as chronically low governmental and philanthropic investments. U.S. foundations give an average of 0.4% of total funding to Native American communities and causes, and billions of federal dollars are inaccessible to Native American communities because many culturally-appropriate interventions are not considered evidence-based. 


At scale, advancing health equity through decolonization requires deeply uprooting colonial power structures, ideologies, and practices that perpetuate harm for Indigenous and other marginalized communities. Improving community-owned data and increasing funding streams for Indigenous communities are two critical foundational pieces of this work. Changemakers can also support justice and well-being by centering Indigenous issues and perspectives, genuinely valuing Indigenous ways of being and knowing, advocating for the return of Indigenous land, paying reparations to Indigenous peoples, and supporting Indigenous communities’ decolonization practices—such as revitalizing Indigenous languages and spiritual practices.


See also: Native Americans and First Nationscolonialism, Indigenization, Indigenous knowledge, land return, bacterial decolonization


Resources & Tools


In Solidarity with Maui: Taking Action for Wildfire Response, Recovery, and Prevention
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 08/24/2023
Graphic displaying title of policy 'Return Lands to Indigenous Native Populations'
Return Lands to Indigenous Native Populations
Resource - Policy Brief
Brought to you by WIN Network
Published on 10/28/2021
Screen capture of the In Common Newsletter with the headline
In Common Newsletter: Intro to Health Equity
Resource
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 01/11/2023
Screen capture of cover photo: Native Language Immersion Initiative
Native Language Immersion Initiative
Resource - Website/webpage
PDF Cover: What Does it Mean to Heal From Historical Trauma?
What Does It Mean to Heal From Historical Trauma?
Resource - Case Study
Brought to you by AMA
Screen Capture of Decolonizing Evidence to Better Support Native Communities blog post
Decolonizing Evidence To Better Support Native Communities
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Screen capture of cover photo: What is the significance of acknowledging the Indigenous land we stand on?
Beyond Land Acknowledgement: A Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Screen capture of Decolonizing the Mind video
Decolonizing the Mind
Resource - Webinar
Screen capture of The Indigenous Futures Storytelling Project
The Indigenous Futures Storytelling Project
Resource - Website/webpage
PDF Cover Page: Native Land Digital 2019 Teacher’s Guide
Native Land Digital 2019 Teacher’s Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Native Land Digital
Screen shot of website description video: Alaska Native Knowledge Network
Alaska Native Knowledge Network
Resource - Website/webpage
Screen grab of Land Reparations & Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit
Land Reparations and Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by RG
PDF Cover: Decolonization is Not a Metaphor
Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor
Resource - Journal Article
PDF Cover: The Indian Health Service and Traditional Indian Medicine
The Indian Health Service and Traditional Indian Medicine
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Screen capture of article photo: Indigenous Stories and Sky Science
Indigenous Stories and Sky Science
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Arizona State University
PDF Cover: Representation of Native Americans in US Science and Engineering Faculty
Representation of Native Americans in US Science and Engineering Faculty
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Springer
PDF Cover: Holding Space For All of Us
Holding Space for All of Us
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Screen shot of article photo: Indigenous Evaluation
Indigenous Evaluation
Resource - Website/webpage
Collage of circular photos of public health and culture mixed together. The public health images are in gray tones, while the culture images are in color.
Centering and Celebrating Culture in Public Health
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Screen capture of Children of the Setting Sun Shares Indigenous Stories With an Eye to the Future article
Children of the Setting Sun Shares Indigenous Stories With an Eye to the Future
Story - Written
Brought to you by The Seattle Times
Published on 04/28/2024
Photo of young Black child with short hair sitting on the ground with their head in their hands.
Race-Based Stress and Intergenerational Trauma
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 09/16/2022
Screen capture of Voluntary Land Taxes webpage
Voluntary Land Taxes
Story - Written
Photo of Honuʻāina Nichols smiling with a gradient green-to-teal background and white letters reading
Climate Change, Hawaiian Sovereignty, and the Lahaina Fires: An Interview with Honuʻāina Nichols
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 08/24/2023
Staff Pick!
Native Land
Native Land
Tool - Data/mapping Tool

Data & Metrics


Collage of images of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with teal, olive green, golden yellow, and burnt orange transparent overlays. Bold white text on charcoal background at the top reads
BIPOC Health Equity Library
Library
Published on 09/27/2022
Photo of an Indigenous person holding a drum. Behind them is a scene of a lake and forested mountains.
Indigenous Knowledge Library
Library
Published on 08/04/2022

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