Grant: Indigenous Centres for STBBI Research

"Wuniska!" came from the lips of a nîtisân living with HIV for over two decades. In 2018 this was a plea, a battle cry, filled with optimism and determination, but also with frustration at the status quo. Like many Indigenous people, he and his family had faced intergenerational disruptions from the land, language and culture. On his healing journey, he began learning his language and serving as an oskapios. Depending on the community or dialect, spelling and pronunciation varies; however, it is often written as waniska. Across Cree, Anishinaabe and Michif, the meaning is shared: "awaken, wake up." For him, it was more than rising from sleep, it was a call for people to open their eyes to the crisis of HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. From this call, Waniska - The Indigenous Healing & Wellness Research Hub was born. In its first mandate, Waniska focused on Saskatchewan & Manitoba, regions with among the highest HIV, HepC & other STBBI burdens, especially impacting First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Waniska galvanized interdisciplinary and collaborative action, building research infrastructure, nurturing a cadre of Indigenous and allied researchers, advancing community-led, culturally safe research, and mobilizing and sharing knowledge across communities and contexts. For renewal, Waniska is advancing innovative models of Indigenous health research that remains firmly grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing while evolving how implementation is understood, co-designed, practiced and sustained. Indigenous health research requires individual and collective reflexivity, including our impact on the research process. What is new is how we are expanding this foundation through meaningful partnerships with leading implementation scientists and other longstanding partners working alongside First Nation, Métis and urban Indigenous communities to co-create approaches that uplift Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.