LibGuides: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Research: Ethics, Methodology and Data Sovereignty

Indigenous Research

Indigenous Research Methodology

Historically research involving Indigenous people has been carried out by non-Indigneous researchers and were often exploitative and extractive with little to no benefit for the Indigenous community. Growing numbers of Indigenous researchers are contributing to the scholarly landscape, here are some resources that will guide you through Indigenous research methodologies which are often grounded in respect, reciprocity and responsibility (Kirkness and Barnhardt 1991, 2001 and Restoulle 2008, 2019). Here are some resources on Indigenous research methdologies.

Indigenous Research Methodologies by Bagele Chilisa
Call Number: GN 380 C494 2012
Responding to increased emphasis in the classroom and the field on exposing students to diverse epistemologies, methods, and methodologies, Bagele Chilisa's textbook situates research in a larger, historical, cultural, and global context.
Indigenous Research: Theories, Practices, and Relationships by Deborah McGregor, Jean-Paul Restoule, and Rochelle Johnston
Call Number: E 76.7 I53 2018
In collaboration with their communities, and with guidance from Elders and other traditional knowledge keepers, each contributor links their personal narrative of Indigenous research to current discussions and debates.
Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous research methods by Shawn Wilson
Call Number: GN 380 W554 2008
Describing a research paradigm shared by indigenous scholars in Canada and Australia, this study demonstrates how this standard can be put into practice.
Decolonizing Methodologies by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
Call Number: GN 380 S65 2012
This essential volume explores intersections of imperialism and research - specifically, the ways in which imperialism is embedded in disciplines of knowledge and tradition as 'regimes of truth.'
Handbook of Critical and Indigenous Methodologies by Yvonna S. Lincoln, Linda Tuhiwai Smith, and Norman K. Denzin
Call Number: GN 345 H364 2008
The Handbook of Critical and Indigenous Methodologies makes connections regarding many of the perspectives of the "new" critical theorists and emerging Indigenous methodologies to serve as a guide to help Western researchers.
Indigenous Research Methodologies in Sámi and Global Contexts by Pirjo Kristiina Virtanen (Volume Editor); Pigga Keskitalo (Volume Editor); Torjer Olsen (Volume Editor)
ISBN: 9004420681
Publication Date: 2021-05-06
This book addresses the conceptualization and practice of Indigenous research methodologies especially in Sámi and North European academic contexts. It examines the meaning of Sámi research and research methodologies, practical levels of doing Indigenous research today in different contexts, as well as global debates in Indigenous research. The contributors present place-specific and relational Sámi research approaches as well as reciprocal methodological choices in Indigenous research in North-South relationships.
Applying Indigenous Research Methods by Sweeney Windchief (Editor); Timothy San Pedro (Editor)
ISBN: 9781351690041
Publication Date: 2019-01-10
Applying Indigenous Research Methods focuses on the question of "How" Indigenous Research Methodologies (IRMs) can be used and taught across Indigenous studies and education. In this collection, Indigenous scholars address the importance of IRMs in their own scholarship, while focusing conversations on the application with others. Each chapter is co-authored to model methods rooted in the sharing of stories to strengthen relationships, such as yarning, storywork, and others. The chapters offer a wealth of specific examples, as told by researchers about their research methods in conversation with other scholars, teachers, and community members.
Walking Together in Indigenous Research by Laura Forsythe (Editor); Jennifer Markides (Editor)
ISBN: 9781645040705
Publication Date: 2020-05-10
In Walking Together in Indigenous Research, the editors have assembled powerful texts that reflect where Indigeneity is today, where it has come from, and where it will move in the years ahead. The sheer variety of topics in this collection-from poetry to policy analyses, from research paradigms to the many faces of reconciliation-is testimony to the vibrancy of Indigenous Studies and to the energy of its many practitioners. The contributors selected by Forsythe and Markides seek neither to comfort nor to confront the reader; rather, they ask us to consider thoughtfully and converse honestly. The epidemic of Indigenous youth suicide, still far too widespread, is examined from the powerful viewpoint of parents rather than sociologists or social workers. A decolonized future beckons, whether in law enforcement or the natural environment, even as we are forced to acknowledge its continuing power in legislation and school curricula. Walking Together in Indigenous Research offers students, scholars, and citizens a multifaceted, powerful account of Indigeneity past, present, and future.
Indigenous Philosophies and Critical Education by Shirley R. Steinberg (Series edited by); George Jerry Sefa Dei (Editor)
ISBN: 9781433108143
Publication Date: 2011-01-31
An important academic goal is to understand ongoing contestations in knowledge in the search to engage everyday social practice and experiences, as well as the social barriers and approaches to peaceful human coexistence. This reader pulls together ideas concerning Indigenous epistemologies (e.g., worldviews, paradigms, standpoints, and philosophies) as they manifest themselves in the mental lives of persons both from and outside the orbit of the usual Euro-American culture. The book engages Indigenous knowledges as far more than a «contest of the marginals», thereby challenging the way oppositional knowledges are positioned, particularly in the Western academy. Subsequently, this book is a call to recognize and acknowledge Indigenous knowledges as legitimate knowings in their own right, and not necessarily in competition with other sources or forms of knowledge. The project offers an opportunity for the critical thinker to continue on a de-colonial/anti-colonial intellectual journey in ways informed by Indigenous theorizing.
Indigenous methodologies : characteristics, conversations, and contexts by Margaret Kovach
ISBN: 9781487537418
Publication Date: 2021

Indigenous research ethics include an extended level of care. Many institutions have their own Indigenous research protocols, including York University and the Canadian Research Tri-Council.

Here are some additional documents:

Toolbox of Research Principles in an Aboriginal Context: Ethics, Respect, Fairness, Reciprocity, Collaboration and Culture
This one-of-a-kind publication is intended for First Nations and Inuit communities’ decision-makers, researchers and students wishing to further their knowledge in research in Aboriginal contexts. The purpose is to aggregate existing tools that have proven useful in the development of ethical, respectful, equitable and reciprocal collaborative research, and make them available to all. Aussi disponible en français.
Ethics in First Nations Research (Assembly of First Nations)
This paper discusses approaches to conducting ethical research, highlighting fundamental flaws in research conducted to date, and offering possible solutions to these flaws for 'outsiders' to First Nations communities and by 'insiders' who identify as members of the community or Nation in which they are conducting research.
Negotiating Research Relationships with Inuit Communities
This booklet, published by the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Nunavut Research Institute, attempts to address questions, and provide practical advice to assist researchers who plan to work with, or in the vicinity of, Inuit communities in the regions of Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories.

Indigenous Research Ethics by Lily George (Editor); Juan Tauri (Editor); Lindsey Te Ata O. Tu MacDonald (Editor)
ISBN: 9781787693913
Publication Date: 2020-10-19
Given the extreme variety of research issues under investigation today and the multi-million-dollar industry surrounding research, it becomes extremely important that we ensure that research involving Indigenous peoples is ethically as well as methodologically relevant, according to the needs and desires of Indigenous peoples themselves. This distinctive volume presents Indigenous research as strong and self-determined with theories, ethics and methodologies arising from within unique cultural contexts. Yet the volume makes clear that challenges remain, such as working in mainstream institutions that may not regard the work of Indigenous researchers as legitimate 'science'. In addition, it explores a twenty-first-century challenge for Indigenous people researching with their own people, namely the ethical questions that must be addressed when dealing with Indigenous organisations and tribal corporations that have fought for - and won - power and money. The volume also analyses Indigenous/non-Indigenous research partnerships, outlining how they developed respectful and reciprocal relationships of benefit for all, and argues that these kinds of best practice research guidelines are of value to all research communities.
Research Ethics in the Real World by Helen Kara
ISBN: 9781447344742
Publication Date: 2018-12-01
Research ethics and integrity are growing in importance as academics face increasing pressure to win grants and publish, and universities promote themselves in the competitive HE market. Research Ethics in the Real World is the first book to highlight the links between research ethics and individual, social, professional, institutional, and political ethics. Drawing on Indigenous and Euro-Western research traditions, Helen Kara considers all stages of the research process, from the formulation of a research question to aftercare for participants, data and findings. She argues that knowledge of both ethical approaches is helpful for researchers working in either paradigm. Students, academics, and research ethics experts from around the world contribute real-world perspectives on navigating and managing ethics in practice. Research Ethics in the Real World provides guidance for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods researchers from all disciplines about how to act ethically throughout your research work. This book is invaluable in supporting teachers of research ethics to design and deliver effective courses.
Participatory Action Research by Caroline Lenette
ISBN: 9780197512456
Publication Date: 2022-05-17
Participatory Action Research (PAR) privileges the involvement of participants as co-researchers to generate new knowledge and act on findings to effect social change. In PAR projects, academic researchers collaborate closely with co-researchers, working from the idea that these individuals, especially those who are usually marginalized from institutions, can be engaged in meaningful research activities to achieve social justice outcomes in addition to answering research questions.
Research and Reconciliation by Shawn Wilson (Editor); Andrea V. Breen (Editor); Lindsay Dupré (Editor)
ISBN: 9781773381152
Publication Date: 2019-08-30
In this edited collection, leading scholars seek to disrupt Eurocentric research methods by introducing students, professors, administrators, and practitioners to frameworks of Indigenous research.
Kaandossiwin by Kathleen E. Absolon (Minogiizhigokwe)
ISBN: 9781552664407
Publication Date: 2011-09-01
Indigenous methodologies have been silenced and obscured by the Western scientific means of knowledge production. In a challenge to this colonialist rejection of Indigenous knowledge, Anishinaabe researcher Kathleen Absolon examines the academic work of fourteen Indigenous scholars who utilize Indigenous worldviews in their search for knowing.
Strong Helpers' Teachings by Cyndy Baskin
ISBN: 9781551309422
Publication Date: 2016-08-30
Timely and accessible, Strong Helpers' Teachings skillfully illustrates the importance of Indigenous knowledges for students, practitioners, and scholars in the human services. Making space for the voices of many Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, practitioners, and service users, Cyndy Baskin's text models possible pathways towards relationship building and allyship. Placing Indigenous concerns and perspectives at the centre of social work disciplines, and through the use of examples and case studies, Baskin covers topics such as spirituality, research, justice, and healing. This thoroughly updated edition includes new chapters on self-care for helpers, holistic approaches to mental health, and two-spirit experiences and is a valuable resource for those interested in sharing, listening, and teaching Indigenous worldviews and helping practices.

It is important for Indigenous people to have ownership and control of their data and knowledges. A main resource that we can refer to is OCAP^®. The OCAP^®principles outline Indigenous people's right to ownership, control, access and possession of their data. You can learn more about OCAP^® at the First Nations Governance Centre. Other organizations that champion Indigenous cultural property rights are Local Contexts, IPinCh (Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage), WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance. The Global Indigenous data alliance will introduce you to the CARE principles which stand for Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility and Ethics.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy by Maggie Walter (Editor); Tahu Kukutai (Editor); Stephanie Russo Carroll (Editor); Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear (Editor)
ISBN: 9781000214208
Publication Date: 2020-10-29
This book examines how Indigenous Peoples around the world are demanding greater data sovereignty, and challenging the ways in which governments have historically used Indigenous data to develop policies and programs. In the digital age, governments are increasingly dependent on data and data analytics to inform their policies and decision-making. However, Indigenous Peoples have often been the unwilling targets of policy interventions and have had little say over the collection, use and application of data about them, their lands and cultures. At the heart of Indigenous Peoples' demands for change are the enduring aspirations of self-determination over their institutions, resources, knowledge and information systems. With contributors from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, North and South America and Europe, this book offers a rich account of the potential for Indigenous data sovereignty to support human flourishing and to protect against the ever-growing threats of data-related risks and harms. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429273957, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license
Decolonizing Data: Unsettling Conversations about Social Research Methods by Quinless, Jacqueline M
ISBN: 9781487504403
Publication Date: 2022
Decolonizing Data yields valuable insights into the decolonization of research methods by addressing and examining health inequalities from an anti-racist and anti-oppressive standpoint.
Indigenous data sovereignty : toward an agenda by edited by Tahu Kukutai and John Taylor
ISBN: 9781760460303
Publication Date: 2016
A Digital Bundle by Jennifer Wemigwans
ISBN: 9780889775510
Publication Date: 2018-10-27
An essential contribution to Internet activism and a must read for Indigenous educators, A Digital Bundle frames digital technology as an important tool for self-determination and idea sharing, ultimately contributing to Indigenous resurgence and nation building. By defining Indigenous Knowledge online in terms of "digital bundles," Jennifer Wemigwans elevates both cultural protocol and cultural responsibilities, grounds online projects within Indigenous philosophical paradigms, and highlights new possibilities for both the Internet and Indigenous communities.

Here are some quick links to statistics which have been gathered by Statistics Canada. You can also check out this research guide Data & Statistics Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous Peoples Survey: First Nations children living off reserve, Métis children and Inuit children and their families, 2022 Aug 14, 2024

Indigenous Peoples Survey–Nunavut Inuit Supplement, 2022 Aug 14, 2024

Study: COVID-19 mortality among First Nations people and Métis in Canada, 2020 and 2021 This link opens in a new windowJul 16, 2024

Regional Discussion Report: Review of First Nations, Métis and Inuit questions for the 2026 Census of PopulationMay 29, 2024

Product/Study: Regional discussion report: Review of First Nations, Métis and Inuit questions on the census, May 29, 2024

Stats Canada Indigenous Peoples | Feed