Research for indigenous survival : indigenous research methodologies in the behavioral sciences

Summary: "Dr. Lori Lambert (Mi'kmaq/Abenaki) writes about the problems of adjusting research methodologies in the behavioral sciences to Native values and tribal community life. In addition to surveying the literature with an emphasis on native authors, she has interviewed a sampling of Indigenous people in Montana's Flathead Indian Reservation; Australia; and Northern Canada. Members of four Indigenous communities speak up about what they expect from researchers who come into their communities. Their voices and stories provide a conceptual framework to western researchers who anticipate doing research with Indigenous peoples, whether it be in the social, behavioral, or environmental sciences. The conceptual framework that their stories have created gives hope and empowerment to Indigenous communities as they endeavor to pass on their values and stories to future generations. Today Indigenous peoples are developing Indigenous Research Methodologies from stories told by elders. These methods allow researchers to respect Native communities and contribute to their healing and empowerment. Indigenous research is not a new phenomenon. People indigenous to their place have known since time immemorial how their world works. By careful observation, they have always been researchers. In countless Indigenous communities, these story keepers have preserved the knowledge of their community's past."--Publisher's description.