The Path of Creating Co-Researchers in the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council

Abstract

Currently, there is a need for implementing ethical, culturally safe practices when engaging in research with Indigenous communities. As a result, best practices in culturally-safe Indigenous health research have been created to mitigate the existing barriers in health and health research stemming from Canada’s colonial history. This article includes a brief examination of those best practices, including community-based participatory research, OCAP® principles, knowledge translation, and positioning communities as co-researchers. Furthermore, it provides an overview of a community-based research project that examines community members’ knowledge of and experiences with dementia. The central themes that emerged during this project are also discussed, reaffirming the need for a culturally safe dementia research model in Indigenous communities.

The Praxis of Partnership in Civically Engaged Research

“…We find that CER draws from literature that supports structuring discussions in which group members recursively revisit how system structures shape their lives and focus on how learning from one another provides benefits that impact everyone (Thompson Sanders 2019). We also find the CBPR literature useful in understanding how to avoid tokenism, in which some participants believe that a partnership is reciprocal and equitable whereas others think and experience otherwise (Dieter et al 2018;Thompson Sanders 2019). Written records, group contracts, and memoranda of understanding can provide a basis to address these tensions.…”

Ethical research engagement with Indigenous communities

“…Community is included within every aspect of the decision-making process, including developing research priorities, or topics of research pertinent to the community itself. 10 IRM includes cultural protocols and values, such as TKs, ceremonies and guidance from Elders and Knowledge Keepers as integral components of the research process. 10 IRM also includes the assurance that the research is community driven, relevant, and has beneficial results for the community.…”

“…10 IRM includes cultural protocols and values, such as TKs, ceremonies and guidance from Elders and Knowledge Keepers as integral components of the research process. 10 IRM also includes the assurance that the research is community driven, relevant, and has beneficial results for the community. Forming ethical relationships with communities is a fundamental role within IRM.…”

“…In partnership with the CRAC, the MSL has collaborated on three publications outlining technology use and Indigenous older adults living with dementia, and we have modified dementia factsheets that are unique to the FHQTC. 3, [29][30][31] The communities ensured the data included in the factsheets were relevant to their territories.…”

“…11 A key component of community-based Indigenous research is to preserve and uphold Indigenous Knowledges through community-driven, self-determined research and respect for the traditions, protocols, and expectations of the community. 10 For example, in some communities, tobacco offerings are given, and a prayer by the Elder or Knowledge Keeper begins the research process, to start off in a good way. It is known that traditional tobacco is used by Indigenous Peoples to open ethical engagement in all traditional and reciprocal social engagements from ceremony to asking a Knowledge Keeper for advice or assistance of any type, including sharing Knowledge.…”