This article aims to explore, (de)construct, (re)affirm and (re)position my experiences in Indigenous-centred research through an Indigenous lens. Specifically, I look to highlight my experiences as a fourth-year undergraduate student who undertook a two-month Indigenous-centred research journey in Peru. This writing is an examination of my research processes to determine if I was able to maintain integrity with ethical Indigenous research practices and protocols, as outlined in my initial project proposal. As part of this reflection, I will explore how the qualitative methods of a critical Indigenous ethnography (re)positions research through the re-conceptualisation of these methods as natural configurations of Indigenous epistemologies and methodologies. Indigenous epistemologies encompass the same relational, political and storytelling processes described in critical, reflexive and auto-ethnographic research. Storytelling has been said to blur the discursive lines of research traditions, and as an Indigenous researcher, I believe I have a responsibility to share this story.
This article was written by Krystal Summers a Social work Practitioner from Ontario, Canada. For free access to the article through the International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies click HERE
To freely access papers on issues pertaining to the world’s indigenous peoples head over to our Open Access Journals page.