3.3: Conducting research

In one of the most significant statements about research on Indigenous People, Linda Smith (1999) makes the statement,

“[Research] is probably one of the dirtiest words in the indigenous world’s vocabulary. When mentioned in many indigenous contexts, it stirs up silence, it conjures up bad memories, it raises a smile that is knowing and distrustful. It is so powerful that indigenous people even write poetry about research.”

When we research Indigenous Communities, it’s essential to be mindful of their painful history, which requires time and understanding, as described in the allyship section. Smith’s work looks at the colonial origins of research and argues for decolonization. This led to the development of Kaupapa Maori Research, an approach where ideas and priorities come from the cultural context of her people. While Smith’s work inspired many Indigenous scholars, the concept faced the challenges of being stolen and applied to prioritize non-Indigenous communities’ comfort and status quo. Tuck and Yang (2012) affirmed that decolonization isn’t just a metaphor. It should center Indigenous Communities and their knowledge. Further, it requires addressing the historical pain body by returning Indigenous land and respecting Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Held (2019) looks at research from a different perspective, highlighting the conflict among Indigenous Scholars about whether Indigenous research by non-Indigenous Folks or Institutions is possible or impossible.

Data sovereignty is another consideration; Indigenous Communities own and control their data. This is a massive discussion with many layers about different kinds of data, including collection, validation, and interpretation, as well as sharing results from data. Researchers need to understand that statistics from censuses (quantitative) are only a tiny portion of the story and should be supplemented with community-level stories (qualitative). The First Nations Indigenous Government Center (FNIGC) provides some excellent guidance on this concept through OCAP®, which is described in detail below.

• “Ownership refers to the relationship of First Nations to their cultural knowledge, data, and information. This principle states that a community or group owns information collectively in the same way that an individual owns his or her personal information.
• Control affirms that First Nations, their communities, and representative bodies are within their rights to seek control over all aspects of research and information management processes that impact them. First Nations control of research can include all stages of a particular research project-from start to finish. The principle extends to the control of resources and review processes, the planning process, management of the information and so on.
• Access refers to the fact that First Nations must have access to information and data about themselves and their communities regardless of where it is held. The principle of access also refers to the right of First Nations’ communities and organizations to manage and make decisions regarding access to their collective information. This may be achieved, in practice, through standardized, formal protocols.
• Possession While ownership identifies the relationship between a people and their information in principle, possession or stewardship is more concrete: it refers to the physical control of data. Possession is the mechanism by which ownership can be asserted and protected” (The First Nations Principles of OCAP®, n.d.).

These are just the surface of this larger discussion, and community-level protocols should also be researched, depending on the scale of information needed. Further, the FNIGC provides training on their website to help students gain a deeper understanding and application of these concepts.

Resources

Held, M. B. (2019). Decolonizing research paradigms in the context of settler colonialism: An unsettling, mutual, and collaborative effort. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1609406918821574.

The First Nations Principles of OCAP®. (n.d.). The First Nations Information Governance Centre. Retrieved January 29, 2024.

Tuck, E., & Yang, K. W. (2012). Decolonization is not a metaphor. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 1(1).

Smith, L. T. (2021). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. Zed Books Ltd..