Unlocking Health Through History

We and the Land are One Thing symposium looked at health equity questions through the lens of history and traditional Wampanoag land-life interconnections.

What is We and the Land are One Thing?

02 November 2024 - ORLEANS, MA - Inspired by a 19th century Wellfleet Wampanoag woman whose cancer healing knowledge has been forgotten over the decades, Delilah's Healing and Education Collective held a day-long Wampanoag health equity seminar October 17 at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans.  We and the Land are One Thing drew on traditional place-based practices to consider how old knowledge can address current health gaps.

Is there a connection between land and health?

According to Delilah’s Healing and Educational Collective, the connection between land and health is not only strong - but essential.  Linda Coombs, an Aquinah Wampanoag author, educator,  artist, and founding member of Deliiahs Healing and Educational Collective said that the loss of land and the place-based living directly impacted the health of the Wampanoag people. Mirroring national data, the Wampanoag people in Barnstable County have the the smallest population but the largest death of all causes rate.  "A lot of that is due directly to the loss of our land, because our land equals our culture." she said.

What are social indicators of health?

Leo Blanford, Director of Health Equity & Community, Outer Cape Health Services said that understanding what health means and how to improve both individual and community health lies in understanding "social determinants" of health – ie, where and how we live, what we eat, and how interact. Using the lens of land/life interaction identifies many of these indicators, he said, helping us focus on the myriad of elements that form the infrastructure which shapes both a person's  -- and a population's -- health.

What happened during the event?

During the day-long symposium, speakers shared stories of generations of interaction with the land, preparation of food from and of the land, and of a traditional way of being that supported wellbeing. As part of the sharing, partaking of traditional food from James Beard award winning Wamaonag chef Sherry Pocknett triggered conversational groups and strong sharing community converged around how the past could become part of a solution to current heath and wellness gaps.

What is the key takeaway from We and the Land are One Thing?

"If we looked back to what our ancestors did ... we were strong health long lived people," said Coombs whose work looks at knowledge of the past to shape the present. She said she hoped the take away from the day would be shifts in thinking toward a more integrated way of being that creates a healthier place and a healthier people. "Ultimately " she said "If people don't change their thinking and the way they behave with the earth nothing is going to change; you're always going to be fighting an uphill battle."