Founded in 2012.

First Conference 2013.

Funders for the first Conference: INBRE Montana State University, IDeA

Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence SKC Social Work Dept., SKC Psychology Dept.

What is Research in an Indigenous Community?

Indigenous People have always been researchers so the idea of scientific research is not new.

Animal husbandry

Meteorology

Agronomy

Oceanography

Native Science/Indigenous Knowledge: Careful observation. Making hunches.

Asking what if?

Watching to see if it happens again. Learning from the animals.

Animal Husbandry and Relationships

with Animals

Engineering

Hunting for seals

Centering Tribal Knowledge:

Hantavirus

Who is “allowed” by (Western science)

to create knowledge and by what

methods?

Indigenous Knowledge Creators

Indigenous knowledge

creators~ from a Place

From our place!!

Indigenous Research Informs Western Science Knowledge gained today by Indigenous

research methods. Research that was overpowered by Western methods.

Indigenous researchers are now rediscovering the research methods of their ancestors.

Methodologies emanating from Indigenous researchers in the mainstream academy.

Why we need the American Indigenous Research

Association It is essential that Indigenous peoples have the freedom to research from their own Tribal epistemology/knowledge and ways of being.

The need for Mainstream professors to accept that their Indigenous students will research from these methods.

Traditional western research

Past research atrocities. Unethical collection of artifacts, stories, Grab and go researchers, Communities not knowing their research rights.

Mission To encourage and

support Indigenous researchers who want to research from their own belief system rather from a western approach.

To educate researchers, faculty, Indigenous communities, and the public, about the ethics and methods of doing research with Indigenous groups.

To promote incorporation of these methods into all research that engages Indigenous peoples and communities.

For Indigenous communities to know and apply their research rights

Indigenous Research

MethodologiesMethodologies: the study of the method.

Methods: staying for tea, bringing gifts.

Creating Relationships Respecting the culture, the story givers, the land.

Methods used to collect data from the voice and heart of the researcher:

Sharing Circles; talking circles, face to face interviews; observation of phenomenon; art, music, songs, stories.

The story of a grad student

Phone: Hi I am….a grad student. I want to come and video tape one of your language classes.

The professor needs to know protocol abd share it with the student.

What will they do with the tape? How will they protect the identity of the students. What will they do to protect the culture of the Salish and Kootenai People? Did they go through the IRB?

Not grab and go and write the paper.

What is research? Telling a story with a surprise ending.

If Research doesn’t change you then you haven’t done it right (Wilson, 2006)

What is Indigenous Research?

It is Indigenous peoples creating knowledge from their own passion, heart, place, and

methods.

What makes Research “Indigenous?”

Heart Passion and the Voice of the researcher in the research proposal.

Tribal specific ~ Flows from tribal knowledge, ethics, and respect.

Epistemology, ontology, and axiology of the community.

Community as full partner in planning.

Moves the community forward towards self determination. Ownership of the data.

Ask yourself these questions What kind of relationship

do I have with the community, culture, and people?

Does the research empower the community?

Am I protecting the culture/cultural resources?

Does the research contribute to self determination?

Does the research promote recovery from from historical anger, loss of self esteem, loss of tribal identity, language/culture or environmental loss?

How does gathering this data contribute to the community’s health/environment?

Does the research contribute to cultural values?

Who owns the data?

How is it disseminated?

Relationship with the questionResilience question vs. negative question

What are the elements in a family that promote underage drinking ?

What are the elements in a family that prevent underage drinking?

What Abiotic/biotic elements in this stream contribute to healthy fish??

What are the contaminants in this stream that affect the health of the fish?

The Mi’kmaq Potato Basket: metaphor for your project

Tribal epistemology

The ceremony of creating the

basket/research project Epistemology/ Tribal knowledge: How to go out and choose the right ash tree.

What songs/prayers to sing as it is cut down.

How to pound the tree so the rings will separate into splats.

How to weave the basket.

Your relationship with the basket/ project/community/research question/culture.

Epistemology

The knowledge one has learned from living in a culture

Axiology

Ethics: Not plagiarizing data or designs from someone else

Ontology The vision of the final project

Qualitative & Quantitative

Mercury levels in hair samples from women of childbearing age. n=300.

Fish tissue study with the Yakama tribe in 2009.

n=1000 fish in the Columbia River: Salmon, and resident fish

Tulane, mercury, PCBs, DDEs, etc.

Expressed and disseminated as quantitative data, but the data gathering methods are Indigenous.

Disseminated via teaching video for the tribe.

Giving Back Go back and clarify the stories with the story

giver;

Dissemination of data in ways the community can understand:

Television programs

Power Points

Gatherings: Town Meetings

The Future “The woods are lovely dark and deep but I

[we] have promises to keep and miles to go before I [we] sleep” Robert Frost, 1923.

We won’t rest until mainstream universities accept Indigenous research methods; and all Indigenous communities know their research rights

Indigenous Research Within the

Academy