the bias towards western medicine and intervention can be offensive or inappropriate for practitioners of traditional medicine finding health staff that speak and understand indigenous languages is difficult and poor communication between providers and clients at all levels compromises access to quality care thus because state health systems neither incorporate the indigenous concept of health nor work in harmony with traditional health systems indigenous communities are marginalized and health disparities between indigenous and nonindigenous populations persist yet there are few efforts that address hivaids among indigenous peoples traditional treatments for hiv are widespread in indigenous communities however and if recognized and supported they are promising practices for combating the illness among all populations