Land-Based Activities as a Form of Immigrant Health Resiliency During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented various health challenges to those who are at risk all over the world. In Canada, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities became at serious risk because of systematic structural challenges, including limited access to healthcare, occupational risks, racial discrimination, living conditions, and language and cultural challenges. It was difficult to overcome these challenges without structural support from governments, NGOs, and local communities. As social interaction was minimal and not at all, many BIPOC communities faced extra burdens as many needed support in a new country. Indigenous Land-based activities have different forms, including learning land-based stories from Indigenous Elders, Indigenous Elder-led land-walks, intergenerational story sharing, community gardening, music, dance, and artworks. All these Land-based activities encompass various aspects of health, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health that helped communities cope with the challenges brought about by the pandemic. This study suggests that Land-based activities created health well-being resiliency for many Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, particularly immigrant communities who strongly connect with the land and Land-based practice by reaffirming our self-determination and sovereignty. Following a relational research framework, this study explores how learning and practicing Indigenous land-based practices were critical in building resilience for many racialized immigrant families during the pandemic.