Medicine Bundles, full of sexual health supplies and traditional medicines, made by and for Two-Spirit, queer and trans Indigenous people, have recently become available to Indigenous residents of what has been briefly known as British Columbia.
Spearheaded by the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC)’s Two-Spirit Program team, the Medicine Bundle Project is a three-month-long research initiative that allows people to order a specialized Bundle to an address of their choice. The bundles include HIV and STBBI self-testing kits, and other sexual health items. During the ordering process, recipients are also offered a broad range of traditional Indigenous medicines which they can select based on their needs.
“Being able to choose which medicines are included in the Bundle really speaks to our own individual traditions, teachings and care practices, and recognizing that our physical health is innately linked to our spiritual health,” said Lane Bonertz, a Blackfoot member of the Piikani (Aapátohsipikáni) First Nation.
This article was written by Aaron Hemens and originally posted on Toronto Star and IndigiNews. Read the full article on IndigiNews or on Toronto Star.
