Differentiated Primary Healthcare in the Pataxó Indigenous Communities in Bahia, Brazil: Polyphonic Ethnography of Healthcare Practices from an Intercultural Perspective

Abstract

A lack of culturally appropriate healthcare is a common problem for colonial nations, and this can explain the different patterns of health in indigenous populations worldwide. Our study is the first ethnography realized with the neglected Pataxó indigenous people from the south of the state of Bahia, Brazil, that analyzes the representations and practices of “differentiated” public healthcare. The polysemic conceptualization and polymorphism of the healthcare practices highlight some spontaneous intercultural competences, particularly those of the indigenous professionals, within the hegemony of non-indigenous health knowledge and the lack of awareness of intercultural healthcare. Intercultural training and empowerment still remain a priority.

Keywords

• indigenous health
• cultural competence
• primary healthcare
• ethnography
• Brazil