Pewaseskwan (the Indigenous Wellness Research Group) focuses on research on Indigenous health and wellness. Research may involve Western medicine, but it brings traditional Indigenous knowledge and medicines to the forefront, as these are as important to promoting good health among Indigenous people in Canada. Pewaseskwan is led by Dr. Alexandra King and Prof. Malcolm King. They have teams based at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Vancouver, BC and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) in Saskatoon, SK.
The teams collaborate with Indigenous communities, supporting them as they undertake their own health and wellness research. Pewaseskwan (Cree for “the sky is starting to clear”) takes a different approach to engagement, relationships, research and research services – all of which will better enable Indigenous communities to do their own health and wellness research. Pewaseskwan supports them in developing their own research agendas and advocating for their needs, rather than passively waiting for researchers to initiate studies.
