Healing through two worlds of medicine | Rotshennon:ni Two-Axe | TEDxMcGill

Medicine and healing are often discussed as universally understood concepts, but they can look vastly different from one perspective to another. In his talk, Rotshennón:ni Two-Axe discusses how healing exists in the space between Western medicine and Indigenous knowledge. Drawing on his work in emergency care and his studies in medicine he describes the intersection between two systems of care: community-rooted Onkwehón:we understandings of health and Western medical practice. Rotshennon:ni Two-Axe (meaning he is happy), is a second-year medical student at McGill University who is a part of the turtle clan from the Kanien’kehá:ka nation in Kahnawake. Outside of being a medical student at McGill, Rotshennon:ni is a paramedic in his community and is part of a year-long kanien’kéha language program that is land, culture, and healing-based. His talk will bring together two worlds of medicine, the Indigenous and Western understandings of medicine. In Western medicine, illness is often something to be diagnosed and treated; in Indigenous knowledge, healing is about restoring balance between body, mind, spirit, and community. He wants the audience to leave with an understanding of what it truly means to heal, beyond the purely physical state. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx