With Reserves: Colonial Geographies and First Nations Health

Health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples persist globally. Northern interior British Columbia, where many Indigenous people live on Indian(1) reserves allocated in the late nineteenth century, is no exception. This article reviews findings from fifty-eight interviews with members of thirteen First Nations communities in Carrier, Sekani, Wet'suwet'en, and Babine territories. The results suggest that colonial geographies, both physical and social, along with extant anti-Indigenous racism, are significant determinants of the health and well-being (or lack thereof) of many First Nations in the region.