Indigenous communities and federal funding agencies in Canada have developed policy for ethical research with Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous scholars and communities have begun to expand the body of research regarding their peoples, and novel and innovative methods have begun to appear in the published literature. This review attempts to catalogue the wide array of Indigenous research methods in the peer-reviewed literature and describe commonalities among methods in order to guide researchers and communities in future method development. A total of 64 articles met inclusionary criteria and five themes emerged: General

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First Nations communities are seeking to improve current service delivery models and create alternative evidence‐based strategies. A First Nations child welfare organization has prioritized further understanding of reunification and parenting, including identification of successes and barriers to reunification, and service needs within communities. These priorities were addressed with a community‐based participatory research model and guided by a Research Advisory. Results were analysed using a blend of grounded theory and thematic analysis techniques. Participants indicated that placing children with extended family or within home communities facilitate best child outcomes. These reunifications could be increased by promoting parental and community capacity. Successes identified within communities included available supports, such as those that increased empowerment and community capacity. Identified barriers within communities were the lack of culturally appropriate services, hesitancy to obtain available support due to fears of child welfare intervention, and mental health difficulties of community member.

Moving towards reconciliation within Indigenous research requires the careful examination of existing practices at all stages of the research process. Engagement in and dissemination of reflexive processes may increase the relevance of research results for Indigenous communities and partners. This article describes and contextualizes the results obtained from this qualitative research study examining parenting needs and child reunification in these communities. The initial results were deemed relevant by the partnering community but research stakeholders reported that they did not reflect all community values. Based on the advice of the Research Advisory Group, the research team decided to further analyze the results to address these shortcomings. The reanalysis process focused on improving the perceived meaningfulness and relevance to communities. Exploration of how these results were re-situated in an Indigenous framework of wellbeing is discussed. Researcher reflections about the project processes and considerations for future research are explored.

Health researchers are increasingly encouraged to use large, community-level data sets to examine factors that promote or diminish health, including social determinants. First Nations people in Canada experience disparity in a range of social determinants of health that result in relatively low community well-being scores, when compared to non-First Nations people. However, First Nations people also possess unique protective factors that enhance well-being, such as traditional language usage. Large data sets offer First Nations a new avenue for advocating for supports and services to decrease health inequity while developing culture-based evidence. However, care must be taken to ensure that these data are interpreted appropriately. In this paper, we respectfully offer a cautionary note on the importance of understanding culture and context when conducting First Nations health research with large data sets. We have framed this caution through a narrative presentation of a simple and concrete example. We then outline some approaches to research that can ensure appropriate development of research questions and interpretation of research findings.

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Objectives: The overall goal of this project was to implement a measurement tool intended to assess the wellbeing of First Nations children within the Robinson Superior Treaty Area. Methods: A community-based participatory research approach was utilized, which included a research advisory composed to employees from the organization that was partnered with. Both interviews and focus groups were held with members of the communities within the Robinson Superior Treaty Area, and the content of these was examined to determine indicators of wellbeing for children in these communities. The indicators that arose from this analysis made up the pilot version of the measure, which was administered to the parents or caregivers of children (n = 91) who were seen through the intake service for the organization. They were also administered the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths measure (Lyons et al., 1999). Results: A principal components analysis was performed, which yielded three factors: (1) General Wellbeing, (2) Traditional Activities, and (3) Social Engagement. Discussion: Involvement in traditional activities and engagement in culture were cited as fundamental indicators of wellbeing of First Nations children, which is consistent with the majority of the literature. The instrument that was created and evaluated represents one of few valid tools available to assess this. Implications: The measure and process of creating this measure contributes to the literature on the significance of traditional activities for the wellbeing of Indigenous people.