First Nations communities in Canada have long faced challenges such as lack of clean water, affordable food, and equitable healthcare, yet they have been the subjects of extensive scientific study. This work explores the intersection of science and settler colonialism through the concept of "Aboriginal diabetes" and the thrifty gene hypothesis, which suggests that Indigenous peoples are genetically predisposed to type-II diabetes and obesity due to their ancestral hunter-gatherer genes. The study begins with Charles Darwin's observations of Indigenous peoples, establishing a context for the histories of medicine and colonialism in Canada, influenced by Victorian science and empire. It then examines mid-twentieth-century nutritional experiments led by Percy Moore, medical director of Indian Affairs. The narrative progresses to James Neel's formulation of the thrifty gene hypothesis in 1962 and Robert Hegele's application of this theory to Sandy Lake First Nation in the 1990s. The author highlights how Indigenous leadership in Sandy Lake responded to and resisted settler colonial science, utilizing funds from the thrifty gene study to support community wellness programs. This examination reveals the exploitative nature of settler science, flawed theories based on misconceptions of Indigenous decline, and ongoing healthcare inequities in Canada.
