NLM Native Voices

This is the official app for the popular Native Voices: Native Concepts of Health and Illness exhibition at the National Library of Medicine.

Through beautiful streaming video and an interactive art gallery, this exhibition explores the interconnectedness of wellness, illness, and cultural life for Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

Please note that this app requires a high-speed Internet connection to enjoy the streaming video. The app is comprised of the following six sections:

Introduction. Four short videos welcome the first time viewer and introduce the key themes of the exhibition. Viewers will discover how Native concepts of health and illness are closely tied to the concepts of community, spirit, and the land.

Native Voices. Honoring the native tradition of oral history, NLM has gathered a multitude of healing voices from across the country so that you may hear their stories in their own words. Viewers can choose from 338 short video clips organized according to the following themes: The Individual, Community, Nature, Tradition, and Healing.

Healing Ways. Uncover how diverse lifestyles and shared experiences have helped sustain the health and well-being of Native populations for generations. This section includes four short videos about Thomas H. Begay, who was a Navajo Code Talker in WWII.

Healing Totem Pole. Follow the journey of the NLM’s Healing totem pole from its origins in the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie national forest in Washington State to its installation in front of the NLM in Bethesda, MD. View short video clips at each of the 14 ceremonies that honored the totem pole during its journey across the country. Read entries from the Healing Totem Pole blog.

Timeline. Explore a timeline of Native peoples health and the survival and resurgence of traditional ways to promote well-being.

Hokulea. Learn about the significance of the Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Hokulea, and its impact on the renaissance of Native Hawaiian culture.

Art Gallery. This section features nine paintings from the collection of renowned Native Hawaiian artist Herb Kane. Explore high resolution images and watch short narrated videos about the stories behind the artwork.

About NLM. The world’s largest biomedical library, The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of information innovation since its founding in 1836. Follow, Fan and Connect with NLM through links in this section of the app.