Health programs that are culturebased and use both western and Indigenous knowledge have the potential to be more responsive to Indigenous peoples and their rights than the status quo and could be the key to closing the gaps in Indigenous health.

Manito Ikwe Kagiikwe is a program that serves substance involved women who are pregnant or early parenting. They work according to the Seven Sacred Teachings, treating women who are often the most stigmatized in the health care system with love and respect.

Dr. Anderson DeCoteau is a CreeSaulteaux physician working in predominantly administrative/ policy/ planning
type roles. She strives to ground mainstream systems approaches to Indigenous health in Indigenous rights, and Indigenous understandings and teachings around health, being healthy, and healingwhich sometimes requires
challenging definitions of science and evidence.of

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx