原住民研究方法與西方的做法不同，因為它們源自於部落的知識。資訊的獲得也是經由各種關係連結——在特定地點與人相處的關係、跟在地文化的連結（透過在地觀點所理解的文化）、與研究資料的關係、以及跟資訊提供者（說故事的人）的關係。這些研究與故事本身（以及故事被詮釋的方式）均有密切關連。以殖民學術模式來說，研究者僅僅是一個旁觀者，與研究計畫和研究資料是疏離的。因此，原住民研究方法很自然的挑戰到西方的研究架構。但是，他們也提供重要機會對自然世界的知識總體和原住民族做出貢獻。美洲原住民研究協會的使命是教育研究人員和公眾有關原住民研究方法的重要性，並促使這些方法能納入所有從事原住民族研究和社區的研究當中。
Indigenous Research Methodologies differ from the Western approach because they flow from tribal knowledge. Information is gained through relationship – with people in a specific Place, with the culture of Place as understood through our own cultures, with the source of the research data, and with the person who knows or tells the story that provides information. The research acknowledges a personal relationship with the story itself and how it is interpreted by both the teller and the researcher. In colonial academic models, the research project and data are separated from the researcher, who is merely an onlooker. Indigenous research Methodologies therefore naturally challenges Western research paradigms. But they also afford vital opportunities to contribute to the body of knowledge about the natural world and indigenous peoples. The American Indigenous Research Association’s mission is to educate researchers and the public about the importance of Indigenous Research Methodologies and to promote incorporation of these methodologies into all research that engages Indigenous peoples and communities. |
