Contrasting epistemologies: Biomedicine, narrative medicine and indigenous story medicine

Background Narrative Medicine (NM) and Indigenous Story Medicine both use narrative to understand and effect health, but their respective conceptualizations of narrative differ. Aims I contrast the concept of narrative in NM with that of Indigenous Story Medicine. Materials and Methods The article relies Western narrative theorists as well as Indigenous epistemologists to frame a discussion‐by‐contrast of the Judeo‐Christian creation myth with a Haundenosaunee Creation Story. Results I demonstrate that the deficiencies of Narrative Medicine exist because the latter's use of narrative is a mere application in an otherwise reductive field, whereas Indigenous epistemologies rely on story as medicine itself. Discussion OMIT. Conclusion I call for more scholars to take up different narratives to further investigate the ethical space between NM and Indigenous Story Medicine.