Research involving Indigenous communities
For anyone interested in engaging in Indigenous research, it is critical to have guidance and agreement from appropriate representatives in the traditional territories where the research is concerned.
First Nation, Métis, and Inuit governments, as well as many Indigenous communities and organizations, often have formal channels and/or protocols for potential research partnerships. It is essential for the researcher to have knowledge and awareness regarding the specific community’s culture, language, governance structure, and research priorities before initiating research. Additionally, all outreach activities with prospective community and organizational partners should be documented so that the information can be included in a community engagement plan and report.
Responsible engagement
Researchers must seek engagement with the relevant Indigenous Community when the research is likely to impact their welfare.
The following conditions require community engagement, among others:
research conducted on First Nations, Inuit or Métis lands;
recruitment criteria that include Indigenous identity as a factor for the entire study or for a subgroup in the study;
research that seeks input from participants regarding a community's cultural heritage, artefacts, traditional knowledge or unique characteristics;
research in which Indigenous identity or membership in an Indigenous community is used as a variable for the purpose of analysis of the research data; and
interpretation of research results that will refer to Indigenous communities, peoples, language, history or culture.
Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2), Chapter 9, Article 9.2 provides examples of the nature and extent of community engagement.
Regional organizations
Atlantic- IMN aims to support Indigenous-led health research in Atlantic Canada. They provide resources for Indigenous early career researchers and trainees and have created a guide for Indigenous people who want to pursue health-related programs at the post-secondary level.
Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat is a policy research and advocacy Secretariat for 33 Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Innu Chiefs, Nations and Communities.
The APC Secretariat follows a relationship vision that concentrates on partnership and cooperation, government to government relationships, dialogue and education, quality of life, and self-determination in First Nations Communities.
AIEDIRP is a unique research program partnership between the member communities of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, the Inuit of Labrador, 15 Atlantic universities, and 3 government funders. AIEDIRP’s key objectives are to fund and facilitate research on Aboriginal economic development, build research capacity and share knowledge on Aboriginal economic development.
Confederacy of the Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM) delivers a variety of programs and advisory services to First Nations in Nova Scotia. Their mission is “to proactively promote and assist Mi’kmaw communities’ initiatives toward self-determination and enhancement of community.”
Inuit Tapririit Kanatami (ITK) is a National Representational Organization protecting and advancing the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada. Their work includes many different types of initiatives including research, advocacy, public outreach, and education.
Mi’kmaq Conservation Group (MCG) develops programs relating to issues involving species-at-risk and participates in programs such as habitat restoration. Their programs and services help promote the concept of Netukulimk – taking what you need today and leaving some for tomorrow – in the Bay of Fundy Watershed.
The Sister Dorothy Moore L’nu Resource Centre (LRC), which is located within the Beaton Institute, is a beautiful, comforting space that houses a diverse collection of papers, books and other materials related to Mi’kmaw history. The LRC welcomes students, educators, researchers, and anyone with an interest in Mi’kma’ki and Mi’kmaw culture.
Wabanaki-Labrador Indigenous Health Research Network (WLN) is a dynamic, diverse, interdisciplinary and inclusive collaboration of Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Inuit, Innu, and Passamaquoddy community members, organizations, health professionals, students, academics, traditional healers and allies from the four provinces of Atlantic Canada – Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
Respect for community customs and codes of practice
Researchers should honour and respect that Indigenous communities and organizations require time to engage in their own governance and cultural processes.
If communities or organizations do not have specific engagement protocols and processes in place, depending on the community’s priorities, there may be opportunities to integrate capacity building into research proposals. See TCPS 2, Chapter 9, Article 9.8 for more information about Respect for Community Customs and Codes of Practice.
If the community partner or organization identifies that capacity building is an area of interest for them, provisions to address this in the research proposal is highly encouraged. The Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) along with the federal research granting agencies developed a strategic plan, Setting new directions to support Indigenous research and research training in Canada 2019-2022. This document provides an overview of ways researchers can contribute to capacity building and supporting Indigenous community research priorities.
Community engagement resources
Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR) presenters Tyson Paul, Angela Denny, Jennifer Sylliboy, and Skyler Jeddore discuss respectful and meaningful partnerships in the workshop Collaborating with Mi'kmaq: Concepts, Approaches and Challenges hosted by the Ocean Tracking network (2020).
Queen’s University has developed an open online training resource - Indigenous Community Research Partnerships. This training resource is for researchers who are new to research partnerships with Inuit, Métis and First Nations communities and Indigenous organizations.
The Research Impact Canada has multiple resources including this online course module titled A Start to Finish Guide on Partnerships. This module is dedicated to general principles and common practices for developing and navigating several types of partnerships.
This webinar titled Achieving Effective and Meaningful Engagement with Indigenous Communities from the Canadian Environmental Law Association provides insights into Indigenous governance structures, operations structures, lands, and treaties, and how to develop an effective framework for Indigenous engagement planning.
This Free Module is available through First Nations University of Canada. The Indigenous Research Level of Engagement Tool (IRLET) aims to provide guidance to researchers and grant review committees who are involved in or are new to Indigenous research with guidelines on how to ensure a project proposal is being planned and executed in an appropriate manner.