Leisure-Like Pursuits as an Expression of Aboriginal Cultural Strengths and Living Actions

Abstract

An Aboriginal-guided decolonizing methodology is employed in this study to examine the leisure-like lived experiences of urban-dwelling Metis and First Nations women and men living with diabetes (N = 42) in Winnipeg, Canada. Directed by the Aboriginal knowledge and world views to ensure cultural sensitivity and relevance, this methodology served as foreground for the voices of the Aboriginal study participants into three key themes of leisure-like pursuits. The first two themes, (1) family, friends, and relationship-oriented pursuits and (2) helping people in community, are closely related within the nature of Aboriginal relationships. The third theme is spiritual and cultural activities. An overarching quality of these leisure-like pursuits is engagement in enjoyable activities that are a meaningful expression of lived culture.

Keywords:

• community
• culture
• Indigenous
• meaning
• Native/First Nations/Metis
• spirituality

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (IAPH)