This article will examine and respond to significant critiques of Indigenous research methodologies as part of an Indigenous Methodologies in Educational Research course at a midsized public university in the intermountain west. The authors will present their perspectives in response to critiques of Indigenous research methodologies as presented at the American Indigenous Research Association’s annual meeting in October of 2014. This collection of responses is offered in an effort to facilitate an interactive dialogue with scholars who use Indigenous research methodologies applicable to multiple fields of study, support scholarship that is responsive to the needs of Indigenous communities, and ultimately center relevant research design and findings within Indigenous paradigms.
As part of a continuing conversation related to Indigenous methodologies in Western academic contexts, this manuscript includes a summary of the scholarly dialogue by providing background information and situatedness to an exchange that is positioned in the academy and Indigenous community simultaneously. The dialogue thus far includes a keynote presentation and a series of manuscripts that collectively help explain Indigenous research methodologies (IRMs) and delineates important considerations for practitioners and communities who relate to Indigenous research. The authors share where they agree, and where they diverge as well as their rationale for continuing the discourse in an academic forum. The paper concludes with an alternative method for dissemination (a winter count), that reimagines epistemological pluralism and knowledge protection through bicultural accountability. We consider the repatriation of Indigenous knowledge to be paramount in this process.
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