Today we talk with Melissa Walls, Ph.D. (Bois Forte and Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe) a social scientist and the Director of the Great Lakes Hub for the Center for American Indian Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Melissa Walls discusses how tribal communities provide much knowledge and perspectives, aimed at keeping our communities healthy and safe, even during the most difficult times. She talks about how research is at its best when it includes community members, intending to help and not exploit. And Melissa shares ways tribal communities confront stress and loneliness during the pandemic, by emphasizing the care and support of one another.

First speaker and elder Bill Premo (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) shares the Ojibwe word Ningii-pajiishka'wigoomin, which means “we got our shot”.  

Plus, Antony Stately (Ojibwe/Oneida) CEO of the Native American Community Clinic, offers advice about drawing on tradition and gifts from our Ancestors, to help make good decisions about keeping healthy and whether to get the vaccine.  

Check out the Center for American Indian Health Great Lakes Hub at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health here: https://caih.jhu.edu/locations/great-lakes-hub

Sign up for the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector here: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/connector/

Find helpful links and more conversations exploring how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the pandemic here: https://minnesotanativenews.org/health/