Indigenous relationality: definitions and methods

Abstract

The following seeks to advance relational research methods by providing more specificity in how relationality is defined, and by engaging commonly held refrains on relational research. Responding to concerns about Indigenous relationality being pan-Indigenous, we suggest a three-part framework that defines Indigenous relationality. First, relationality as a defining aspect of global Indigeneity; second, relational understandings that emerge from specific Indigenous nations and third, relationality as manifest within inter-Indigenous connections. Building on our definitional work, we argue that three common refrains within relational research methods should be extended. First, researchers should be able to balance a slippage between the particular context of Indigenous nations and the general context of Indigenous relationality. Second, we have to do more than simply value relationships, and consider how we use relationality for critical thinking. Finally, ensuring accountability within Indigenous research requires us to revisit how we analyze the concept of community.

Identifying key dimensions of indigenous led child welfare services: A qualitative literature review

“…In their review of the literature on the involvement of Indigenous children in Anglo child welfare systems, Sinha et al (2021) noted that 'despite the large number of articles we coded as programs and services, we did not find any pieces that provided clear, explicit discussions in terms of commonalities in terms of approaches, underlying practice values or paradigms' (p. 21). In contrast, the current study clearly identified core domains that are shared across Indigenous nations, even as they are enacted in ways that are context specific (Wildcat & Voth, 2023).…”

Indigenous Intergenerational Resilience and Lifelong Learning: Critical Leverage Points for Deep Sustainability Transformation in Turbulent Times

“…That is not because there is lack of interest in scaling up' sustainability innovations. Rather, the discourse is more about transferability or balancing a slippage' between the specificity of local Indigenous realities and the general context of Indigenous relationality [62]. The processes, pedagogies, and results articulated in this paper are therefore not intended to be replicable or generalizable in the western positivist sense.…”

“…The study is grounded in an Indigenist research paradigm [59,60], which centres Indigenous ontologies (our experience of the nature of reality), epistemology (our beingness in the world and how we come to know), and axiology (the values we carry). This paradigm acknowledges that Indigenous worldviews share broad ontological, epistemological, and axiological principles [61,62], while respecting the specificity of these to places and communities [58]. Rather than emphasizing identity, this framework prioritizes philosophy and is therefore inclusive of those no-longer-indigenous-to-place.…”