Consequences of colonialism: A microbial perspective to contemporary Indigenous health

Nearly all Indigenous populations today suffer from worse health than their non‐Indigenous counterparts, and despite interventions against known factors, this health “gap” has not improved. The human microbiome—the beneficial, diverse microbial communities that live on and within the human body—is a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physical anthropology 2018-10, Vol.167 (2), p.423-437
Main Authors: Skelly, Emily, Kapellas, Kostas, Cooper, Alan, Weyrich, Laura S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colonialism
dysbiosis
Ecosystems
Indigenous peoples
Microbial activity
microbiome
public health
social‐cultural change
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Summary:Nearly all Indigenous populations today suffer from worse health than their non‐Indigenous counterparts, and despite interventions against known factors, this health “gap” has not improved. The human microbiome—the beneficial, diverse microbial communities that live on and within the human body—is a crucial component in developing and maintaining normal physiological health. Disrupting this ecosystem has repercussions for microbial functionality, and thus, human health. In this article, we propose that modern‐day Indigenous population health may suffer from disrupted microbial ecosystems as a consequence of historical colonialism. Colonialism may have interrupted the established relationships between the environment, traditional lifeways, and microbiomes, altering the Indigenous microbiome with detrimental health consequences.
ISSN:0002-9483
1096-8644
2692-7691
DOI:10.1002/ajpa.23637