Indigenous Research Resources

Dalhousie University is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq.
We are all Treaty people.
 

Honouring Indigenous community self-determination in research

Does your research impact Indigenous people, lands or cultures, or Indigenous community? Here at Dalhousie, we believe organizational partnerships and  collaboration is essential to help ensure research is not only safe but also beneficial. 

Read on to access Indigenous Research Resources, an information hub that will guide you on ethics, advising, and data management considerations to assist you in navigating your research and planning, including research proposal writing and securing research funding.

Research in any field or discipline that is conducted by, grounded in, or engaged with First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous nations, communities, societies or individuals, and their wisdom, cultures, experiences, or knowledge systems, as expressed in their dynamic forms, past and present. Indigenous research can embrace the intellectual, physical, emotional and/or spiritual dimensions of knowledge in creative and interconnected relationships with people, places and the natural environment - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Planning for Indigenous Research

Indigenous community partners and collaborators should be involved in determining the direction of the research project prior to the inception. Community and organizational partnerships take time to develop. Due to the increased workload related to Indigenous community engagement, researchers should allocate a significant amount of time for relationship building or consider aiming for the subsequent cycle of yearly funding competitions.

Proposals should reflect appropriate methodologies, ontologies, and epistemologies, grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, or as guided by their community or organization partner. Budget is an important consideration, particularly in cases where co-investigators and collaborators do not have salaried research positions. Researchers should plan accordingly to ensure equity in how co-investigators and collaborators can be compensated appropriately for their participation. This should be done in accordance with the funder's guidelines, while also ensuring appropriate leadership and guidance is represented within the research team, representing the Indigenous community. Researchers will be asked to provide documentation of Indigenous community knowledge of the request to participate in the project at the time of application submission. Resources can be provided if needed; please reach out to IndigenousResearch@dal.ca.

We invite you to visit each link below to access resources that can help guide your research.

Indigenous Research at Dalhousie

Researchers planning to do Indigenous research are strongly advised to develop the project proposal and a Collaborative Research Agreement (CRA) in partnership with their community or organizational partner from the start. Both documents should focus on the nature of the collaboration/partnership, and be grounded in the “6 Rs of Indigenous Research”: respect, relationship, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility, and representation.

The community or organizational partner’s input should be reflected from the onset of the inquiry design unless explicitly indicated otherwise by the community.

There are many layers and depths to which these concepts are embodied within Indigenous research. Before preparing or reviewing a research project proposal, read Supporting Indigenous Research Proposal Development: A quick guide [PDF 1.5 MB].

Requirements for Funding involving Indigenous Research

When research involves Indigenous communities, Dalhousie has an obligation to ensure that this engagement is conducted in a good way, and in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement, Chapter 9, Articles 9.1 and 9.2: “Where the research is likely to affect the welfare of an Indigenous community, or communities, to which prospective participants belong, researchers shall seek engagement with the relevant community… [and] the nature and extent of community engagement in a project shall be determined jointly by the researcher and the relevant community and shall be appropriate to community characteristics and the nature of the research.”

For Principal Investigators whose grant applications have been successful but who are continuing to engage with Indigenous communities to finalize documentation of agreement/consent to participate, the Office of Research Services has implemented a partial Release of Funds process. This process will enable researchers to access partial funding needed to support activities related to preliminary or early engagement with communities (e.g.  toward obtaining documentation that confirms agreement for participation in a project as described in a proposal), such as honoraria and gifts, travel to community, workshops and meetings, hiring personnel to support community engagement, etc. To request a partial release of funds, please complete the appropriate form and submit via ROMEO. In addition, researchers can request partial release of funding for aspects of the project that do not involve Indigenous communities.

The request for a partial Release of Funds Agreement will be reviewed and the Principal Investigator will be notified by email of the result. Financial Services will be provided with the related information when all requirements for authorizing account opening have been met.

Connect with us
Stay informed on research announcements, funding, and upcoming deadlines by signing up for our Office of Research Services Newsletter, or access Dalhousie's Indigenous resources below:

For more information on Indigenous research, please contact IndigenousResearch@dal.ca.