HEALTH EFFECTS OF COLONIZATION.

Running Head: HEALTH EFFECTS OF COLONIZATION
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Health Effects of Colonization
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Colonization consequences on the health of Aboriginals
This paper discusses the health effects of colonization on the Aboriginal people of
Canada. Colonization leads to the assimilation of western culture, which impacted the
Aboriginal’s way of life in all aspects, including access to healthcare. The colonization and
assimilation process manipulated the social, economic and political framework of the Aboriginal
people, leading to their erasure. This subsequently leads to marginalization and racism, factors
that are attributed to the poor health of the Aboriginals. In addition, efforts to assimilate the
Aboriginals to the Euro-Canadian life has had negative effects on the mental, spiritual and
emotional health of these indigenous populations. For instance, residential schooling is one of
the main colonial policies that has caused the most harm to Aboriginals. The main aim of these
schools was to totally eradicate the language and culture of aboriginals and to try and instill
civilization.
However, the result of these residential schools was mental, sexual, psychological and
spiritual abuse leading to trauma especially for the Aboriginal children who attended these
schools. The schools were always underfunded, leading to malnutrition of the children, and
predisposing them to illnesses and sometimes death. The trauma has had lasting effects, which
coupled with racism in hospitals and other institutions have led to deteriorating health.
According to Wilk, Maltby and Cooke (2017) the residential school system “has had enduring
effects including, health problems, substance abuse, mortality/suicide rates, criminal activity, and
disintegration of families and communities.”
Another direct effect of colonialization n the health of the Aboriginals have been
systemic inequality that has caused inequality in the distribution of essential resources, power,
and health. The Aboriginals are often discriminated upon when it comes to the distribution of

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resources. As stated by (Czyzewski, 2011) funding is limited for health policies of indigenous
people mainly because they are not seen as a growing population.

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References
Czyzewski, K. (2011). Colonialism as a Broader Social Determinant of Health. International
Indigenous Policy Journal,2(1). doi:10.18584/iipj.2011.2.1.5
Wilk, P., Maltby, A., & Cooke, M. (2017). Residential schools and the effects on Indigenous health
and well-being in Canada—a scoping review. Public Health Reviews,38(1). doi:10.1186/s40985-
017-0055-6