The document discusses indigenous research from a Moonias perspective, emphasizing the importance of cultural appreciation, respectful relationships, and community involvement in the research process. It highlights key concepts such as indigenous knowledge transfer, strengths-based approaches, and the need for protocols when involving indigenous communities. Additionally, it calls for fair compensation for elders, cultural humility, and a focus on community-defined needs rather than deficit-based perspectives.

1. Indigenous Research:
A Moonias Perspective
Greg Riehl RN BScN MA - Indigenous Nursing Student Advisor

2. Treaty Four or Six Acknowledgment
 Should you invite an elder?
 What protocols do you follow?

3. Let’s start with an Icebreaker

4. môniya:s
 Especially among North American Indians in Canada: a newcomer.
 Origin - Late 19th century; earliest use found in Dictionary Canadianisms. From Plains Cree
môniya:s non-Indian, white person, diminutive of môniya:w from Southern Algonquian
mo:niya:winini from mo:niya Montreal + -inini man.

5. Perspective

6. Perspective
Upstream
Downstream
Linear
Vertical
Non-linear
Directions?

7. Western Medicine Western Research
 What is the problem, what is the question?
 How can we get rid of the problem? How can we fix it?
 What is the answer to the question?

8. Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation
“the only route to gaining a better appreciation of the different cultures in
Canada is through regular exposure, asking questions and expressing
opinions – even if those opinions are wrong.
Michael Taube on May 16, 2017 Troy Media

9. Chief Jo Mathias
“We walk into the future backwards because we are looking to
our Ancestors, listening to our Elders, and learning our traditions
and cultures”

11. “What we see, we do not see.”
 Archie Weenie

12. Best or Wise Practices
 Indigenous Knowledge Transfer (IKT) Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Knowledge Translation (KT)
 Need to support Indigenous ways of knowing, need to link to ceremony/s
 Wellbriety versus sobriety
 Nutritional harm reduction
 Community Identifies needs: system or institution identifying needs, points to consider as
opposed to weaknesses
 UNDRIP principles – how to evaluate IK using Indigenous frameworks – needs specificity, # of
interviews, # of interventions
 Informed by the TRC and community consultations

13. Trust
 Three biggest institutions of historical trauma and mistrust
 Justice, health, education
 Honorariums – clarity/equity between all participants’ youth to elder, childcare, transportation
 Indigenous students traumatized and suffering, deficit based
 Partners, is the partner Indigenous? A University is not Indigenous.

14. Traditional Questions
 Stigmatizing disease, illnesses, Western medicine always wants to fix something
 Is your research trying to fix something?
 Lateral violence as opposed to lateral kindness - Lateral violence focuses on deficits not strengths
 Advisory board oversees what? TOR needs to indicate what?
 Do you even need a TOR
 Good governance structure or model developed and supported by elder and community input

15. Strength Based Research
 Strengths based as opposed to deficit based approaches
 Interviews – How are the interviews being conducted, sharing circles, elder involvement, shared
power, equal voice,
 Knowledge gaps, what is being addressed, be specific, need to identify
 Responding to suicide through community and culture
 Researchers receive training from the community, focus on a balanced team
 Support for non – Indigenous mentors, all mentors receive support

16.  Paying elders
 Paying guest speakers

17. To For With
 Western thought – increase awareness of effects of colonialism BUT most Indigenous populations
already know about the effects
 Resiliency – bouncing back hopefully more than that – thriving, striving, more than just surviving
 Means, variable, and interests need to be defined
 Actively recruit the underrepresented – gender, sexuality, those with low opportunity hard to
reach, often this population is not represented
 Avoid Broad statements – this will benefit a lot of people and be used with other people – need
to be more specific

18. So what?
 Knowledge Generation (KG) –local elders, scholars, knowledge keepers,
 KT are articles co-authored with community members
 What are you going to evaluate or inventory
 Knowledge Holder (KH) for anything document versus Knowledge User
 Ethnography – who owns our observations?
 OCAP – ownership, control, access, possession
 Do not confuse sex and gender
 Sharing circle – how will this be evaluated

19. OCAP
 What happens after the program, intervention?
 Cultural Teachings – drumming, singing, smudge, tobacco, whole family, storytelling, sharing/talking circles,
 Cultural lens – more Indigenous and cultural approaches
 Cultural Continuity & Transformation Research, Social Continuity, and Change
 Do not focus on the development of the research; do focus on the development of the members of the Indigenous
people
 Project Scope, ultimate benefits,
 Data collection, how to analyze multi methods of collection modalities
 GIS – mapping – OCAP, community should get software and own it and use it and maintain this data and tools
 Indicators or markers of success – what will the program add to

20. Methods
 Decolonizing Methodologies vs Indigenous Methodology – Indigenizing vs reconciling, deliberate
dialogue
 Two-eyed Seeing approach, good to add to this
 Multi directional learning KTE throughout the process/phases
 Code of ethics practice working with Indigenous researchers CMT
 Bidirectional Knowledge exchange between mentors and mentees, both have knowledge,
culturally grounded mentorship – Four pillars of CIHR
 Teaching into action, How will it be delivered and translated out, catalyst for the future

21. Tr4ends
 Cultural Competency is out, Cultural Safety yes, Cultural Humility very good
 Cultural competence focuses on service provider’s cultural safety and humility focuses on clients
 Humans not at the top of the hierarchy, focus on balance with all creatures
 land based programs and interventions
 Mentors mentees (the land is a mentor) are co-learners
 Cultural and ecological wellness need to be defined

22. Outputs
 Tri Council Statement Chapter 9 http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique/initiatives/tcps2-
eptc2/chapter9-chapitre9/
 Community Oversight committee very important
 Village of wellness methodology http://thevillagemethod.org/our-method/
http://vchnews.ca/across-vch/2016/10/12/n%D3%99camat-2016-downtown-eastside-aboriginal-
womens-village-wellness/#.WMr9Wbi1vRY
 Direct money and funding toward the community

23. Dos and do nots
 Budget describes activities; these activities need to be in the proposal
 Separation between those providing services and those evaluating, separate implementers from
evaluators
 From the community for the community
 Can we come up with a different term/inology for train-the-trainer
 Concern that $ is going directly to grad students, PIs, etc
 Letters or interest, support from the community, not a form letter, letters of support need to
focus on the project not the institution or researcher
 350 page submissions, 20 years of research, uhmmm no…

24. Allies
 Indigenous research will be joined by allied researchers
 Number of elders on the team >2
 Mentoring model only 3/12 should be 12/12
 Need to link local to national programs if available or possible

25. examples
 Angela Snowshoe and Noel Starblanket 4 blankets of Indigenous Horse-Based Healing
framework http://journalindigenouswellbeing.com/media/2016/12/50.43.Eyininiw-mistatimwak-
The-role-of-the-Lac-La-Croix-Indigenous-Pony-for-First-Nations-youth-mental-wellness.pdf
 Traditional Environmental knowledge (TEK)
http://nafaforestry.org/forest_home/documents/TKdefs-FH-19dec06.pdf
 Miro Matisiwin
http://www.rcaaq.info/images/M%C3%A9moire_RCAAQ_inclusion_sociale_anglais.pdf &
http://www.pimatisiwin.com/uploads/jan_20112/10ManitowabiShawande.pdf
 Unifying features of the black spruce, extending diversity and unity

26. The Nightmare Before
Christmas
“If you’re going to learn about other people’s cultures and traditions, approach it from a place of
respect. Go to the people who live that life and treat them as the experts. Listen to others if they say
you’re stepping over your bounds. Show humility. Ask questions in a respectful way. Don’t try to
“improve” cultural elements just because that’s easier than understanding it fully. Above all, practice
empathy. And that’s a pretty good lesson for us at any age.” Katie Schenkel

27. “Reconciliation is about forging
and maintaining respectful
relationships.
There are no shortcuts.”
Justice Murray Sinclair

28. What is my role in research?
 I need to understand myself, my place, my invisible knapsack or worldview, my assumptions and
understanding of myself and of others and relationships and power dynamics.
 What is the goal of research? as a Moonias it is often about learning more about myself as
opposed to the outcomes, results, the data or findings of the other.
 We all need to be a bit more self-reflexive

29. & DonT be arfaid to
kame mit sakes
Ask questions, listen, and then ask more questions.

30. Lateral Kindness
 Please be kind to each other
 Respectful and responsible relationships, there are no apps for that.
 Be Grateful
 Be Great!

31. Contact information
Greg Riehl RN BScN MA
Indigenous Nursing Student Advisor
Indigenous Nursing Success Strategy
Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Regina Campus
Email: greg.riehl@saskpolytech.ca