Urban-indigenous therapeutic landscapes: a case study of an urban American Indian health organization

Abstract

We engage and extend the concept of therapeutic landscapes through a case study at an urban American Indian health organization in the Midwestern United States. This case affords insights at the unique confluence of indigeneity and urbanization, prompting us to coin the construct "urban-indigenous therapeutic landscapes" to characterize such sites. These landscapes warrant urgent attention in light of increasing urbanization and health disparities among indigenous peoples internationally. On the basis of thematic content analysis, three themes were identified from 17 open-ended interviews with American Indian community members. Specifically, respondents viewed the health organization as (a) a vital place to be among other American Indians and connected to Native culture, (b) a place where one feels at home and welcome, and (c) a place in which health services are delivered in an especially intimate and hospitable manner. Significant challenges and tensions were also communicated, in terms of unique intersections of health care and indigeneity. Results are interpreted in terms of urban Indian health organizations as urban-indigenous therapeutic landscapes.