Working with Indigenous, Tribal, and Rural Communities as a Scientist

— updated November 2020 —

IARC is committed to advancing scientific research in the Arctic

A significant component of the long-term success of that research is building and maintaining positive relationships with Indigenous communities. Scientists conducting field research represent their own research group, the International Arctic Research Center, the University of Alaska, and the research community as a whole.

Thoughtful, culturally sensitive actions can help address the damage done by a history of systemic racism and colonization. Active participation in building trust and long-term relationships with rural communities as equal partners in research is as critical to science as a commitment to data quality and research methodology.

Why this is important

A reflective understanding of your identity in the context of your research—your positionality—works toward dismantling systemic imbalances of power between Indigenous and colonial institutions.

Reshaping these relationships takes time, but each positive step will help expand and strengthen relations as well as build community capacity to conduct and lead research projects.

Research done together with community members through co-production or citizen science models will be more relevant to the people living in the regions you study. It will also benefit from millenia of Indigenous Knowledge.

Co-produced or collaborative projects are a requirement for many funding agencies.

Getting started: Key points to consider when working with Indigenous communities in the Arctic

- Involving a community meaningfully in your research is not a small, simple, or short-term process. Dedicate time and thought before beginning the process with researching best practices, past projects, and the culture of the region. Then consult your Indigenous and non-Indigenous peers who may be familiar with your region of interest. Finally, be sure to identify the right governmental, tribal, or other entities or individuals in the community to communicate with early.
- Incorporate input from your potential collaborators, such as tribal government or research liaisons, as soon as possible while planning, conducting, and concluding your project. Begin reaching out for consultation early as tribal/regional organization approval and negotiations process takes time.
- Attribution and cultural appropriateness of research are key to success. Collaborators should be appropriately attributed in publications and presentations and should have the opportunity to review research outputs to ensure accurate portrayal and representation of the community and the research.
- Consider costs of travel and supporting community members in your proposal process. Honoraria and salaries should be part of your funding plan. Do not plan on volunteers to provide substantive input and services. The establishment of Local Advisory panels, as well as funding to bring community members to conferences and presentations to represent themselves and their community’s experts should also be a priority.
- Be flexible with regard to timing. Community members can inform you about subsistence calendars and events that should be considered in your planning.
- Do thorough background research on what efforts and projects have already and are currently taking place in the area. Then get input from the community on what work has already been done and what research networks already exist to avoid duplication of effort and to increase the power of your project funds. Once again the earlier you consult local experts the better your proposal and resulting research will be, and demonstrating an understanding of current work in the region is a first step in building trust with the community.
- Prepare for cross-cultural miscommunications compounded with the limitation of communications across distances. Please work with social scientists and local community research partners as boundary spanners to help facilitate the research and communication.
- Consider data sovereignty and intellectual property, do not assume the standard protocols apply. For example, Indigenous Knowledge is communal intellectual property.

All photos on this page courtesy Heather McFarland.

Resources for further reading and information on best practices

Achieving Equity and Representation for Indigenous Peoples in Arctic Research (2019) - Dr. Nikoosh Carlo of the Center for Arctic Policy Studies (CAPS) has put together the following policy call detailing broad guidance in this short two-page document.

Alaska Federation of Natives Guidelines for Research (1993) - Adopted at its quarterly meeting in 1993, this document from the Alaska Federation of Natives demonstrates how long this conversation has been taking place.

Arctic Co-Production of Knowledge Framework (2020) - This poster and presentation by Carolina Behe, Inuit Circumpolar Council; Raychelle Daniel, Pew Charitable Trusts; and Julie Raymond-Yakoubian, Kawerak provide a co-production of knowledge framework for Arctic research with Indigenous communities. A journal article is in process.

Arctic Observing: Indigenous People’s History, Perspectives, and Approaches for Partnership (2020) - A longer-form work by Dr. Nikoosh Carlo, this document provides a great overview of the history of Indigenous peoples of Alaska, the history of colonization across the state, and Indigenous ways of knowing, all from the perspective of research science and policy.

Conducting Research with Northern Communities - This web page by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) provides a selection of articles and white papers documenting practices for work across Northern communities, Alaska communities, Canadian Arctic communities as well as resources from outside of the Arctic and for community-based monitoring efforts.

Developing best practices for working in Arctic communities (2020) - The Woodwell Climate Research Center presents a good list of specific principles for working in local northern communities as developed by Research Assistant Darcy Peter.

Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge (2000) - Developed by the Assembly of Alaska Native Educators, “the following guidelines address issues of concern in the documentation, representation and utilization of traditional cultural knowledge as they relate to the role of various participants, including Elders, authors, curriculum developers, classroom teachers, publishers and researchers.”

Cheat Sheet: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 101 (2021) - As part of their work on the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Indian Country Today produced this guide to the modern treaty landscape across Alaska. This is a simple guide to Alaska Native corporations, village corporations, Tribal non-profits, and more critical information for understanding the structure of Tribal sovereignty and governance across the state.

Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples of Canada (2018) - This chapter from the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 details both points of overlapping interest and difference between researchers and Indigenous communities. It is particularly helpful in providing a background of key concepts and definitions and directly addressing research ethics.

ScIQ: Science and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (2018) - This resource developed by the Ikaarvik youth project in collaboration with Ocean Wise, this guide provides a number of specific suggestions for actions to take before, during, and after your research to improve the research process. It also provides a number of specific culturally-relevant recommendations for Inuit communities.

UAF Institutional Review Board’s Research with Indigenous Peoples page - The Institutional Review Board provides a granular guide, adapted with permission from the University of New Mexico, to the University of Alaska’s Fairbanks’ guiding principles, approvals, and definitions when working with Indigenous peoples.

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