Living the good life: an evolutionary concept analysis of mino-pimâtisiwin and related teachings from Turtle Island

Mino-pimâtisiwin (Cree) and mino-bimaadiziwin (Anishinaabe), often translated as 'the good life', are Indigenous teachings that describe relational and wholistic understandings of well-being. Although these concepts are increasingly used across scholarly and grey literature, their meanings are not always clearly defined. This study used evolutionary concept analysis to examine how mino-pimâtisiwin is defined and applied in scholarly and grey literature, while attending to mino-bimaadiziwin and related terms as conceptually connected teachings from Turtle Island. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, Scopus, and Google Advanced Search identified 30 sources for analysis. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents. Four defining attributes were identified: relationality, relational responsibilities, balance and harmony, and collective thriving. Antecedents included cultural teachings, awareness of relational interconnectedness, supportive environments of community, land, and culture, and opportunities to enact relational responsibilities. Consequences included individual well-being and purpose, cultural continuity, ecological stewardship, and community well-being. Rather than describing well-being as something held by an individual, the literature portrays mino-pimâtisiwin as a way of living well through reciprocal relationships with human and more-than-human relations. This analysis clarifies mino-pimâtisiwin as a relational framework of well-being and may support Indigenous health promotion approaches grounded in community, culture, land, responsibility, and collective thriving.