Indigenous Research Methods: A Systematic Review

Abstract

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

Research Methodology and Community Participation: A Decade of Indigenous Social Science Research in Canada

“…2017). But others go further and demand that CBPR approaches for Indigenous research should also decolonize, rebalance power, and provide healing (Drawson, Toombs, and Mushquash 2017:12; e.g., Simonds and Christopher 2013:2186).…”

“…In general, “conversational and story‐telling approaches,” which are more consistent with the relational worldview that undergirds many Indigenous epistemologies, tend to be preferred (Ball and Janyst 2008:43; Christensen 2012; Drawson et al. 2017). By contrast, some social science methods of analysis, such as analyzing survey data, may be more difficult to implement if analysis requires formal training of research participants (e.g., Grover 2008).…”

“…Third, methods, particularly when thought of as “tools” of data collection, may often be used as part of different methodologies with different epistemological perspectives (Drawson et al. 2017; Evans et al. 2014; Lincoln, Lynham, and Guba 2011).…”

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“…However, beyond this general origin-that is, emerging from Indigenous cultures-there is little agreement about what constitutes an Indigenous method. In this issue, Drawson, Toombs, and Mushquash (2017) catalogue the wide range of Indigenous methods that appear in the literature in order to explore the commonalities and differences among these approaches as a guide for researchers and communities. They conclude, "One distinction between Western and Indigenous research methods lies in this purpose: research done in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples cannot only reveal knowledge, but also decolonize, rebalance power, and provide healing" (p. 12).…”

To what extent can online mapping be decolonial? A journey throughout Indigenous cartography in Canada

“…It also opens new possibilities for stories to be told, geolocated, and shared. Storytelling remains a significant aspect of many Indigenous cultures (McIvor 2010; Drawson et al 2017), and digital media gives the power to Indigenous groups and individuals to control these stories and to share them broadly (Cunsolo Willox et al 2013; de Jager et al 2017; Eglinton et al 2017). Given the popularity of online mapping tools within Indigenous communities, and given the potential these tools offer to better control the mapping process from data collection to spatial expression, it seems logical to draw conclusions that online mapping applications may offer real opportunities to advance Indigenous decolonial mapping agenda.…”