This presentation describes the process of inviting a non indigenous researcher to a research class taught at tribal college. Best practices to prepare students and to share the customary indigenous Maskwacis protocols are described to foster relationship between all the stakeholders.

1. Building Relationships with
Researchers Conducting
Research in Indigenous
Communities
Prepared by Manisha Khetarpal, Instructor
RSWR 1900 class, Maskwacîs Cultural College
September 17, 2019

2. Welcome to the Research & Writing
Class agenda

3. Context
• Research and Writing (RSWR 1900) class invited Dr. Sue
Ross and her assistant Ms. Luwana Listener to share
information about their Wellness project in Maskwacîs.
• Meet and Greet researchers is part of the pedagogy of this
course and involves introducing research professionals to
our indigenous students. Students can see the value of
taking the RSWR 1900 course and in applying their
knowledge to gain employment in the research field.
• ‘Ask questions’ is a learning activity where the students
pose questions about research as a profession, writing
research proposals and funding; community engagement in
research, sharing research findings, and OCAP principles.
• Reciprocity opportunity where researchers are the guest
instructors and are sharing their skills with students and
thus building research capacity for First Nations.

4. Researcher Profile
• Sue Ross PhD
• Professor and Cavarzan Chair of Mature Women's Health Research
• Department of Obstetrics and Genecology and Women and Children's Health
Research Institute, University of Alberta
• Sue Ross has worked as a researcher for the past 30 years, with the main goal of
providing evidence to help doctors and patients’ make decisions about their
treatment options. Most of her research has been about treatments in surgery and
obstetrics and gynecology.
• Since coming to the University of Alberta in 2012, she has become interested in
menopause research. Her program of research in menopause has led her towards
aging women’s “wellness”, rather than taking an approach based on treating illness.
• Her involvement in Maskwacîs developed through a series of strange coincidences.
This work has developed over the past 5 years as a partnership between
community members, Elders and researchers to look at wellness approaches to
menopause and other concerns of aging women.
• She currently holds two CIHR research grants for the work in Maskwacîs with Dr
Cora Voyageur (University of Calgary), Margaret Montour (Elder), Bonny Graham
(MSH), Richard Oster (University of Alberta), and Seth Heckman (MSH and
University of Alberta).

5. Agenda Template for the Meet and
Greet Researcher
• Welcome
• Meet the Researchers – Who are they, what have they done, what do they do?
– Small group(s) discussion
– Learning objectives: Experience interviewing, collecting information, introduce yourself
– Or produce a brief comment on a surprising thing that you've learned about researchers or doing research
• AFNIGC OCAP Principles – Why it really matters to researchers and communities
– Presentation and discussion
– Learning objectives: Understand why OCAP was/is needed and how it impacts the work of researchers and protects the rights of communities
and individuals.
• Break – importance of food to our research
• Evolving Women’s Research – From Menopause through Aging Well to Intergenerational Cohesion
– Summaries of our research, discuss how the community guides the research.
– Using Indigenous Research Methodologies: Engagement with community, use of ceremony, essential roles of Elders, listening to women,
encouraging them to share, using all of these for the community, learning from each other.
– Advice from the students: Open discussion with the students about how they feel about our approach, what we might do better.
– Learning objectives: Describe our research approach, how it's evolved and developed in collaboration with and directed by the needs of
community and Elders, how the findings are coming together. Are we correctly applying IRM?
• Has this Research Made a Difference to Individuals or the Community?
– Discussion about our research outcomes, what do we think are the benefits to date, how has the research grown "organically"? How can we
take the research further? Where will it be useful?
Learning objectives: Designing research with the community in mind, applying OCAP principles. Can the research benefit others further?
• Closing Prize Draw

6. Possible questions to ask the
researchers
• How long have you worked as a researcher?
• What did you do before?
• How did you become a researcher?
• How did you come to Maskwacîs to conduct research?
• Why do this research in Maskwacîs and not any other First Nation?
• What exactly do you do now?
• What are your actual day to day tasks?
• What do you expect to be doing in the future?
• Do you like research? What do you like about research?
• How long was the study? How long did it take to write the proposal?
• How did you recruit the participants? – Was it only Female? Any males??
• What were the challenges in collecting data from the participants?
• What pointers/recommendations would you give to new researchers?
• What should we avoid in research?
• How would you describe the importance of record keeping and digitization to those who do not understand?
• And any other questions you would like to ask.
• Take some notes - be ready to give feedback on what interests you about being a researcher, or doing research, or using
research in your future, or some other comment.

7. Researcher Dr. Sue Ross in Maskwacîs

8. Introducing Research Project in
Maskwacîs

9. Local research Staff Luwana Listener in
Maskwacîs

10. Students Engaged with Current
Research Project in Maskwacîs

11. Communications Panel and Display for
Wellness Project in Maskwacîs

12. Closing remarks about the Wellness
Research project in Maskwacîs

13. Conversation with Researchers in
Maskwacîs

14. Dr. Claudine Louis Research Formula

15. Research
notes

16. Research Journals
• How are women all the same? It’s taught women are the life-givers. We’re the backbone of the
family and Nation. We’re the fire keepers of the home. We’re the Matriarch of the family and
Nation. We are to have respect for every living being, plant, insect, winged ones and four legged
brother or sister. “Wahkohtowin”. We are all related. One body, one mind, one spirit.
• Dr. Ross and Luwana Listerner presented their research on the aging mature women of Maskwacis
that are going through Menopause. There was a seven women Elders advisory group who assisted
and guided the research. It was decided a pamphlet would be created to educate people on women
who are going into/through a change of life. It’s a topic that’s not discussed much. They did
interviews with seventeen women from Maskwacis on what they thought about aging? By using the
Medicine Wheel concept it was decided a book would be made. They travelled to Kahnawake,
Quebec to meet and interview a group of mature women. They had a sharing circle with the
attendees using the holistic strength based model. Through the research they are finding a better
way to serve the community and since applied for grants to continue the research. It’s something
that’s a need in the communities. Education is the key to creating awareness.
• Change of life, menopause or manopause is a difficult thing to understand because each person’s
body is different goes through a change at different times of a person’s life. No person is the same.
Our bodies are all different. By researching the topic is creates employment, it also finds and better
way to serve the community and educates those who don’t know. Currently there are no men who
took part in any studies. Men go through a change of life and it’s known as midlife crisis. I enjoyed
listening and questioning Dr. Ross and Luwana Listerner.
• In closing, research creates awareness, contract employment and educates the community.
Women are of precious, the life givers and matriarchs. There’s a need to understand our bodies in
this change of life called menopause. There are no coincidences in life, life happens the way it is
meant to happen, we are all here to learn from each other.

17. Engaging the students with discussions
about Indigenous research issues and
methodologies

18. Good Practices
• Prepare the students in advance about the
researcher, short profile of the research project
and their task is to ask questions
• Provide information to the researcher about
customary indigenous protocol and a place to
wait if them come early for the presentation
• Please share this presentation with instructors,
students, and teaching and learning professionals
as this will foster relationship with indigenous
and nonindigenous students, instructors, and
researchers

19. Interested in presenting your research
to Maskwacîs students?
• Please contact Manisha Khetarpal
• by email at mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca
• Call 780 585 3925