ABSTRACT
American Indian and Alaska Native understandings of health and well-being begin with harmonious relationships rather than individual factors, and typically, creation rather than the individual is at the center of personal identity and development. Health and well-being depend on the quality of that interdependence. A significant portion of traditional healing practices among Native Americans focus on restoring relationships. The health of Indigenous men in the United States and Canada most certainly has been negatively impacted by historical events beyond their control. In addition to being challenged by diseases, American Indians and Alaska Natives were challenged by colonial land and resource grabs that contributed to the forced removal of people and wars initially fought with a goal of eliminating Indigenous people. American Indians and Alaska Natives have faced immense challenges since the arrival of European colonists and have survived atrocities and assimilation efforts difficult to imagine.
