The Importance of Story-Telling: Research Protocols in Aboriginal Communities

Abstract

AN ORAL TRADITION AND STORY TELLING CULTURE are still central to aboriginal personal and community identity, and provide major means of remembering and conveying personal and community experience with university researchers. These stories describe stark accounts of betrayal and upset, as well as descriptions of positive experiences. They provide dramatic reminders to researchers of the importance of respectful and collaborative relationships with traditional community leaders and their members.