Portraits of a Pandemic

How do we heal from long-term trauma? How can wellness be culture-specific? Professor Karina Walters (Choctaw Nation) of the University of Washington helps us understand the historical trauma, the structure of U.S. settler colonialism, and researching resilience. We also hear from Feanette Blackbear (Lakota) about the way of life in Black Hills, South Dakota, prayer, essential work, and seeking justice during the pandemic. Feanette's story gives us insightful salve to long term trauma: culture.

This episode brings us to the Navajo Nation, where we talk to Dr. Blair Matheson (Cherokee), an ER and trauma physician who recruits other physicians for COVID-19 emergency response. We also talk to Dr. Mark Carroll, a family practice physician with over 20 years of experience leading Telehealth initiatives in the Navajo Nation through Indian Health Services.

This episode brings us to Seattle where we talk to Lance Thompson (Bitterroot Salish) about his life and his struggles. We delve into the contemporary history of native migration and talk about the difficult relationship between the medical establishment and people of color.

We begin with broken treaties. Stanford Professor C. Matthew Snipp, Dr. Karina Walters, and Karen Biestman, J.D., talk Native-U.S. relations since colonization, tracing the roots of the inequalities we see in Native communities today.

Source for COVID-19 cases in May: CNN, “Navajo Nation surpasses New York state for the highest Covid-19 infection rate in the US.” May 18, 2020.

Music: Lofi geek, "deline"