Historical Wisdom Chihuum Piiuywmk Inach/Gathering of Good Minds

Season 1 of the Historical Wisdom Podcast has come to an end. In this closing episode, we will hear a recap of previous episodes, important takeaways, useful resources for more learning, and a conversation with family physician Dr. Opsahl on her thoughts about the first season of the Historical Wisdom Podcast. Season 2 of the podcast is in the works and we look forward to sharing it with all of our listeners. 

So, What did you think? is a response to our first episode "Our Voices". Our guests identified their own struggles that were similar to what they heard, identified issues that we were missing, and highlighted parts of the conversation where they thought healthcare providers should really take note.

This episode focuses on providers “shock” when they begin working for Indian health. Healthcare providers often report experiencing a large number of patients with high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, substance use, depressions and more. Our conversation with epidemiologist Delight Satter, MPH, describes how genocidal policies create a missing cohort of people, that in turn create pro-birth policies. Additionally, Satter discusses the effects of “weathering” the premature aging effects on populations who experience systematic racism and trauma. These unusual distributions in age lead to healthcare needs that the infrastructure was not designed to support. Along with the legacies of policies that were intended to physically and culturally eliminate Native Americans, the consequences of termination policies on the health care infrastructure in inland southern California, and turnover of physicians in the health system among other structural practices have led to a lack of continuity in care and a constant struggle to address high rates of diseases. Notably, Satter also discusses how the tribes in California have consistently taken the lead in addressing their healthcare needs.

This episode shares conversations with community members on how they are experiencing sheltering-in-place and health care during the coronavirus pandemic. 

One of the most important treaties in California history is the Treaty of Temecula. The Treaty of Temecula is one of 18 unratified treaties between the United States and California tribes. In our conversation with Sean Milanovich we learn that due to the Treaty of Temecula, Tribes were left vulnerable to abuse and subjugation at the hands of settlers and the policies of state lawmakers. Displacement of the tribes made it almost impossible to gather traditional foods and medicines, which took a toll on the health of Tribes. The Treaty of Temecula led to an ehtnic cleansing in which the Indian population plunged from approximately 150,000 in 1846 to around 30,000 in 1870. Notably Sean Milanovich connects the songs that open and close our podcast with the relationships with the enviornment.