Indigenous Method Research Articles

Looking out across the front yard: aboriginal peoples’ views of frailty in the community – A qualitative study

ABSTRACT Objective Frailty is one of the most significant challenges to healthy ageing. Aboriginal Australians experience some of the highest levels of frailty worldwide, and despite this, no studies have explored frailty from an Aboriginal perspective. This is important because Aboriginal understandings and priorities in frailty may differ from Western/mainstream frailty frameworks. Furthermore, this lack of research severely hampers healthcare planning and service delivery. As a starting point, this study aims to understand the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions that Aboriginal older adults hold regarding frailty. Design A qualitative study that utilized the Indigenous research method of Yarning for data collection as a culturally appropriate process for engaging Aboriginal peoples. Yarning circles and one-on-one yarns with 22 Aboriginal adults aged 45+ years living in one Australian capital city took place online and over the phone to explore the views that Aboriginal adults hold around frailty. Data were analysed thematically by Aboriginal researchers. Results Seven key thematic areas were identified: (1) Keep in with culture; (2) Physical markers of frailty; (3) Frailty throughout the life course; (4) Social, cultural, and psychological understandings of frailty; (5) We want information about frailty; (6) Appropriate and positive wording; (7) Frailty assessment. Conclusions There was interest and engagement in the concept of frailty by Aboriginal older adults and approaches to frailty that extend beyond the physical to address cognitive, psychosocial, cultural and spiritual domains are likely to be more acceptable to this population. Culture and community connectivity are essential elements in preventing and alleviating frailty and have wider positive implications for Aboriginal health and wellbeing. Existing tools in practice to assess frailty are not aligned with Aboriginal cultural norms. Culturally appropriate frailty assessment methods co-designed with the community which incorporate holistic and multidimensional approaches are urgently needed.

She-Search: The Fertile Ground of Black Indigenous Methods (BIM) in Qualitative Inquiry

Educational research methodologies are often situated in the onto-epistemologies of patriarchal whiteness. Lacking critical emotionality, these designs repress human instinct for the fallacy of scientific objectivity. The life-giving methods and methodologies employed by many Black women educational researchers oppose these positivist designs. In this context guided by our collective “she-searches,” we conceptualize Black indigenous methods (BIMs). Engaging in the Black feminist tradition of storytelling, we recount our application of Black indigenous interview method by “she-telling” our lived raced and gendered experiences with our communities. Thus, we unearth the fertile ground of BIM and offer insight into our methodological sense-making for researchers.

Creating a Culturally Safe Online Data Collection Instrument to Measure Vaccine Confidence Among Indigenous Youth: Indigenous Consensus Method.

Participating in surveys can shape the perception of participants related to the study topic. Administering a vaccine hesitancy questionnaire can have negative impacts on participants' vaccine confidence. This is particularly true for online and cross-cultural data collection because culturally safe health education to correct misinformation is typically not provided after the administration of an electronic survey. To create a culturally safe, online, COVID-19 vaccine confidence survey for Indigenous youth designed to collect authentic, culturally relevant data of their vaccine experiences, with a low risk of contributing to further vaccine confusion among participants. Using the Aboriginal Telehealth Knowledge Circle consensus method, a team of academics, health care providers, policy makers, and community partners reviewed COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy surveys used in public health research, analyzed potential risks, and created a framework for electronic Indigenous vaccine confidence surveys as well as survey items. The framework for safer online survey items is based on 2 principles, a first do-no-harm approach and applying a strengths-based lens. Relevant survey domains identified in the process include sociodemographic information, participants' connection to their community, preferred sources for health information, vaccination uptake among family members and peers, as well as personal attitudes toward vaccines. A total of 44 survey items were developed, including 5 open-ended items to improve the authenticity of the data and the analysis of the experiences of Indigenous youth. Using an Indigenous consensus method, we have developed an online COVID-19 vaccine confidence survey with culturally relevant domains and reduced the risk of amplifying misinformation and negative impacts on vaccine confidence among Indigenous participants. Our approach can be adapted to other online survey development in collaboration with Indigenous communities.

Reflections on the Collaborative Story Analysis Method to Understand Qualitative Perspectives of Indigenous Syringe Services Program Clients

Many scholars have cautioned that the use of Western research methods is problematic in studies with Indigenous communities given colonialist histories that have exploited Indigenous populations. One solution has been to utilize a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to enhance equity in research partnerships. Employing a CBPR approach, however, does not necessitate the inclusion of Indigenous Research Methods, an additional step that can further benefit studies with their explicit alignment with Indigenous worldviews and values. In a CBPR project aiming to understand Indigenous harm reduction clients' perspectives of barriers and facilitators to opioid use disorder treatment, our research group assembled a multidisciplinary qualitative data analysis team that included diverse tribal community members and academics. Sparse literature was available to guide the use of Indigenous Research Methods for the qualitative data analysis phase of the research. To address this gap, the aims of this process paper are: (1) to describe the implementation of the Collaborative Story Analysis method, and (2) in the Indigenous tradition of honoring and sharing stories, describe our analysis team's experiences and perceptions of implementing this Indigenous Research Method. Through a series of process discussions, the analysis team found that applying the Collaborative Story Analysis method: (1) honored relationships and story, (2) strengthened the depth of analysis, and (3) exhibited tensions when working in a dominant Western culture. Through sharing our team's experiences, the aspiration is that others can use these insights in their own consideration and implementation of an Indigenous Research Method for qualitative data analysis.

Theology in Melody: An Indigenous Theological Method of the Nepali Church

Even after seven decades of Christianity in Nepal, an Indigenous Nepali theology has yet to emerge. Although Christianity is rapidly growing, it is unclear how the Nepali church is meeting its theological needs. Nepali Christians have long composed Christian hymns. This article argues that Nepali Christian leaders were unintentionally using songwriting to fulfill their duty of doing theology. This article focuses primarily on two tasks related to this topic. First, it argues that singing songs is a form of expression used by the Nepali people that the church may view as a theological method. Songs are the primary Indigenous tools available to people for developing social consciousness, speaking out against oppressive systems and discrimination, and creating a space to combat societal divisions. As a result, it is argued that songs could be used as a theological tool by the Nepali church. Second, this study looks at specific Christian songs to see how they are used in Nepali churches and what theological content they contain. It will show how Nepali Christians use music to express their love for their country and its people, as well as their desire to use the gospel to change society. This article also asserts that for Nepali Christians, Christian songs have served as a means of expressing, teaching, and learning about their faith, and thus have become their theology in melody. The argument is that the Nepali hymnal is unquestionably a theology book for Nepali Christians because it is available for every life event, including marriage, baptism, birth, and death, and directs their action in their context.

Structural Optimization of Occupational Risk Assessment in Romania: Case Study for the Activities Carried Out Within a Hydrotechnical Construction

Abstract After 18 years since the legislative changes in the field of safety and health at work introduced the obligation to assess occupational risks at all workplaces, we note that the indigenous method of the National Research and Development Institute for Labor Protection in Bucharest was quasi-generalized in applicability. Starting from this practical reality, this paper aims to offer a more synthetic and pragmatic version of the application of the method for more complex jobs/activities, in which several socio-professional categories of workers are involved, by structural optimization of the procedure for the implementation of the specific stages and tools, in order to increase the effectiveness of the assessment of occupational injury and illness risks. This finality is achieved through a case study applied to a construction activity carried out within an important hydro-technical project. The main advantages of the approach proposed by the authors are summarized.

Insider Research in Migration and Music Sociology: Contextualizing Indigenous and (G)local Method(ologie)s in Studying Migrant Musicians

Insider Research in Migration and Music Sociology: Contextualizing Indigenous and (G)local Method(ologie)s in Studying Migrant Musicians

Jhum: An indigenous method of cultivation and British attitude towards it in Colonial Assam

Jhum: An indigenous method of cultivation and British attitude towards it in Colonial Assam

Natural rubber – Increasing diversity of an irreplaceable renewable resource

This paper discusses the importance of introducing domestic natural rubber production and presents the rediscovery of a rubber-producing species, Scorzonera tau-saghyz or “mountain gum”, originally discovered in 1929 on the Karatau mountains in Kazakhstan. This plant could potentially also be cultivated in the U.S. In this exploratory work, roots (2–5 years old) were harvested on June 16, 2021 from wild strands in the Karatau mountains, Kumantas ridge, and Saraba, Kazakhstan, and processed at the Ohio State University. The rubber extraction method was based on an indigenous method in Kazakhstan to make natural chewing gum. Water extraction followed by purification yielded 16.2 wt% rubber from the dry roots, in comparison with 4–8 wt% from most rubber dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) plants, also a potential domestic rubber producing plant. High-resolution size exclusion chromatography was used to analyze rubber samples. The molecular weights and gel and oligomer contents were very similar to the rubber from Hevea brasiliensis, the current commercial source of natural rubber. More detailed investigations of this very interesting rubber-producing plant are in progress.

Ē-pī-wīcihtāsowin ahpō ē-pī-wīchisowin: non-indigenous learners in Indigenous language-learning spaces

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to ongoing conversations on the contextual differences and considerations between learning an Indigenous language as a member of an Indigenous nation or community and learning an Indigenous language as a non-Indigenous person (Albury, 2015; Berardi-Wiltshire & Bortolotto, 2022; May 2023; O’Toole, 2020; Te Huia, 2020). While we see value in considering how non-Indigenous Canadians can positively contribute to Indigenous language revitalization efforts, we also want to consider the consequences of that involvement for Indigenous Peoples who are asked to share Indigenous language learning spaces with non-Indigenous students. As a group of colleagues from different communities, all with connections to Indigenous language revitalization, we came together to consider questions such as: Are Indigenous languages for everyone or are they languages that should be learned only by Indigenous peoples? And if we accept or encourage Indigenous language learning by non-Indigenous Canadians, are there parameters that might need to be implemented? To this end, we used the Indigenous research method of conversation (Kovach, 2010) during biweekly meetings recorded on Zoom. Data consisted of meeting transcripts and web-based documents of written reflections. In our analysis of these documents, we identified three interrelated themes: 1) linguistic insecurity, 2) trauma and language learning and 3) settler dominance in Indigenous language settings. As a settler colonial country, Canada’s past and present continues to shape interactions between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians in ways relevant to the topic of Indigenous language revitalization. Ultimately, we do want non-Indigenous people to learn Indigenous languages so that these languages can once again be languages of broader society (McIvor, 2012). We also recognize that Indigenous Peoples deserve to reclaim Indigenous languages in safe and trauma-free ways. Ultimately, we must work together to ensure that including non-Indigenous learners in Indigenous language programs does not cause injury to Indigenous learners. This paper offers recommendations for ways to achieve these goals.

A Culturally Grounded Approach to Nepalese Grandmothers’ Caring Work: Developing Dohori as a Narrative Methodology

The social sciences have a growing seismic shift from prioritising positivist, objective, and generalizable knowledge to accepting subjective qualitative knowledge. This has given rise to various art-based methods that leverage multi-sensory storytelling/narrative. To further advance innovation in qualitative narrative methods, I will present the Dohori narrative, an indigenous Nepali poetic storytelling method for narrative research with older grandmothers doing care work. I start by presenting a discourse on Dohori to understand better the history and traditional and cultural underpinning of the method. Provided a brief background to Nepali grandmother immigrants and then discussed the promise of Dohori as a form of culturally relevant narrative interviewing with this population. To demonstrate this, I provide an examplar case study adopting a conventional narrative interview and then Dohori to show the differences. The study showed that Dohori has the potential to elicit stories, emotions, and tacit knowledge and access other areas of consciousness that traditional narrative interviews are not privy to. I conclude by arguing for the adoption of Dohori and similar dialogical poetic methods for research with indigenous populations, especially minority groups with limited voice.

How Can We Find Out What Indigenous Children and Their Families Need to Manage Weight? Lessons from Formative Nutrition Intervention Research with First Australians.

In Australia, Indigenous children have rates of overweight and obesity 1.5 times those of non-Indigenous children. Culturally safe and effective nutrition interventions are needed for this group. This paper aims to describe a Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) approach to designing formative nutrition intervention research with First Australian children and their families and to reflect on the challenges arising from this process. After obtaining ethical approvals, a Steering Committee (SC), including nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experienced in delivering or receiving health care, was established as a project governance body to develop culturally safe project materials and methods. The Indigenous research method of yarning circles was chosen by the SC for the community consultation, and the First Australian SC members were trained to collect the data. They liaised with community organizations to recruit yarning circle participants. Individual interviews conducted by an Aboriginal research assistant replaced yarning circles due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. While the CPAR approach to formative research was successful, the pandemic and other factors tripled the study duration. To authentically, ethically and safely engage First Australians in research, researchers need to decolonize their methodological approach, and funding bodies need to allow adequate time and resources for the process.

Amplifying Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Perspectives to Promote Digital Health Equity: Co-Designed Qualitative Study.

Digital health is becoming ubiquitous, and we must ensure equity in access. Indigenous people across most high-income countries typically have not benefited as much as other citizens from usual health care systems and technologies. Despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's clear interest in, and enthusiastic use of, new technologies, little research has examined the needs or interests of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This study prioritizes the perspectives of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, tapping into their expertise associated with Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing, as well as their unique position within their families and communities, to design a model for using digital technologies to improve health for themselves and their families as well as their communities. Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from 4 partner organizations were recruited for this study. This co-designed qualitative research included citizen scientists in shaping the protocol as well as collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. We used yarning, an Indigenous research method validated for use in health research with Indigenous people and seen as respectful and culturally safe, as a primary research tool. The use of Indigenous methodologies and our iterative process enabled us to deeply explore and incorporate perspectives from all participants and ensure that the perspectives of Indigenous citizen scientists with lived experience were privileged. The data-checking methods also used a yarning methodology, which ensured that the findings and translational model derived from the findings were validated by the participants. Participants comprised 24 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged ≥41 years and including 3 generations that did not grow up with the internet: seniors, baby boomers, and Generation X. The key findings in this research were that older women use various digital technologies to improve health and well-being for themselves and their families as well as their communities. Older Aboriginal women want a culturally sensitive cyberspace that caters specifically to their needs and includes relevant content and functionality that are accessible and efficient. Our translational model highlights the conditions necessary for anyone to use digital health technologies, summarizes the essential elements needed to promote equity in digital health, and illuminates the unmet needs and requirements for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to fully benefit from digital health technologies. Health is a fundamental right. As we move toward greater reliance on digital health solutions, we must recognize and address the concerns of the smaller populations of people who differ in their needs. We must urgently address the financial, connectivity, and other limiting factors highlighted by older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in this study that limit equitable access to digital health tools. RR2-10.1177/20552076221084469.

INDIGENOUS LIVELIHOOD PRACTICES OF THE PUROIK COMMUNITY OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH: A PERSPECTIVE ON POLICY CONSTRUCTION

Knowledge of natural resource management is key to sustainable livelihood. The indigenous worldview of the Puroik community is known for by its cultural uniqueness in terms of forest survival skills, food habits and other forms of livelihood practices. They practice non-agricultural activities like hunting, trapping, fishing, foraging and honey collections and different other. They grow and preserve the Sago palm trees as the flour produced from the palm trunks is used as their stable food. Although these forms of practices are not quite practicable now among the youths and urban dwellers, yet it is still prevalent among the interior community living in the deep forests and hilly terrains. The indigenous method of livelihood practices including food habits of the community lacks any technical analysis and in-depth research towards its sustainability, affordability and stability. In this regard, the present paper is an attempt to understand the indigenous methods of livelihood practices and draw perspectives towards policy construction on food security. The study was conducted in 9 (nine) Puroik Settlements under Nyapin Block in Kurung Kumey District of Arunachal Pradesh with a mixed research design approach to meet the objective of understanding the indigenous lifestyle. To achieve the objective of the study, an un-structured and open ended interview schedule was administered for data collection. The study reveals that the majority of people still practice their age-old indigenous way of life. The study also found that their forest-centric food habits can easily secure their life in any point of time, be it drought or any other challenging circumstances.

Heart Health Begins With Community: Community-Based Research Exploring Innovative Strategies to Support First Nations Heart Health

BackgroundIndigenous people have displayed their strength through their holistic practices and spiritual connection to the land. Despite overcoming the impact of discriminatory and disempowering policies within Western institutions, Indigenous people continue to experience a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to the general population. To move toward improving Indigenous health outcomes, researchers need to work in partnership with communities to develop heart health strategies centred on their experienced barriers and sources of healing. We conducted a community-based explorative study in Moosonee, Ontario to explore the local community’s needs and priorities regarding heart health and wellness. MethodsA convenience sample of community members and healthcare professionals were invited to participate in a sharing circle. Qualitative data were analyzed using conventional content analysis and the Indigenous method of two-eyed seeing. ResultsEight community members and 5 healthcare professionals participated in the sharing circle. Four dominant themes were identified: (1) heart health is more than metrics; (2) honouring our traumas; (3) destigmatizing care through relationship building; and (4) innovative solutions start with community. With the history of mistreatment among Indigenous people, strength-based solutions involved rebuilding clinical relationships. To bring care closer to home, digital health tools were widely accepted, but the design of these tools needs to integrate both Western and Indigenous approaches to healing. ConclusionsIndigenous health upholds the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of an individual as being of equal importance. To improve community heart health, strategies should start by strengthening broken bonds and bridging multiple worldviews of healing.

Indigenous cost-effective method for tracheal lavage in canines

Indigenous cost-effective method for tracheal lavage in canines

Fault Control on Groundwater Flow in An Alluvial Aquifer, Chaman and Khojak Basins, Balochistan, Pakistan

Geological structures such as faults play a critical role in the flow of fluids in a reservoir by affecting its permeability. This study explores the role of the Chaman Fault in the distribution of hydrological division, groundwater separation of the aquifer systems of Khojak and Chaman basins. The Chaman Fault is a left-lateral strike-slip transform plate boundary located at the border city of Chaman, District Killa Abdullah, Balochistan. The Chaman fault plays an important role in the division of groundwater in the subsurface, accommodating the structural compartment of the aquifer system. The studies showed that the strike-slip movement of the fault made the aquifer impervious along the fault line. This assertion may also be confirmed by the drastic change in the water table across the fault. Sharp changes in the groundwater table and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) were observed during the study. The Karazes which are an indigenous method of irrigation is present in the eastern foothills of Khojak mountains called Khojak basin. Here the water table is as shallow as ≈ 6 meters in comparison to the western side of the fault, where the water table drops to ≈274 meters towards the valley of Chaman basin. The average TDS level on the eastern side of the fault line is 773 mg/L and 1361 mg/L on the western side. Therefore, the Chaman fault is acting as a groundwater barrier which is feeding the Karezes for centuries.

Bridging community and clinic through digital health: Community-based adaptation of a mobile phone-based heart failure program for remote communities in Uganda

BackgroundIn Uganda, limited healthcare access has created a significant burden for patients living with heart failure. With the increasing use of mobile phones, digital health tools could offer an accessible platform for individualized care support. In 2016, our multi-national team adapted a mobile phone-based program for heart failure self-care to the Ugandan context and found that patients using the system showed improvements in their symptoms and quality of life. With approximately 84% of Ugandans residing in rural communities, the Medly Uganda program can provide greater benefit for communities in rural areas with limited access to care. To support the implementation of this program within rural communities, this study worked in partnership with two remote clinics in Northern Uganda to identify the cultural and service level requirements for the program.MethodsUsing the principles from community-based research and user-centered design, we conducted a mixed-methods study composed of 4 participatory consensus cycles, 60 semi-structured interviews (SSI) and 8 iterative co-design meetings at two remote cardiac clinics. Patient surveys were also completed during each SSI to collect data related to cell phone access, community support, and geographic barriers. Qualitative data was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The Indigenous method of two-eyed seeing was also embedded within the analysis to help promote local perspectives regarding community care.ResultsFive themes were identified. The burden of travel was recognized as the largest barrier for care, as patients were travelling up to 19 km by motorbike for clinic visits. Despite mixed views on traditional medicine, patients often turned to healers due to the cost of medication and transport. With most patients owning a non-smartphone (n = 29), all participants valued the use of a digital tool to improve equitable access to care. However, to sustain program usage, integrating the role of village health teams (VHTs) to support in-community follow-ups and medication delivery was recognized as pivotal.ConclusionThe use of a mobile phone-based digital health program can help to reduce the barrier of geography, while empowering remote HF self-care. By leveraging the trusted role of VHTs within the delivery of the program, this will help enable more culturally informed care closer to home.

Pokkali Rice Cultivation: A Review on the Indigenous Rice Cultivation Method in Kerala

Kerala state's rice consumption is predicted to be between 3.5 and 4 million tons per year, but production is just a sixth of this. In order to boost the state's rice production, attention must be paid to traditional rice growing techniques. Thus, there is a need to understand the Pokkali rice cultivation method used in Kerala. The Pokkali style of rice farming in Kerala's acidic, saline soil is a distinctive way of rice cultivation. A native historic salt-tolerant type of rice called Pokkali, with a 120-day growing season, can withstand flooding by growing up to a height of 1.5 meters. Chettivirippu, Vyttila 1, Vyttila 2, Vyttila 3, Vyttila 4 and Vyttila 5 are the other rice varieties cultivated using the Pokkali rice cultivation method. With this technique, a single rice crop is harvested on mounds during the low salinity part of the production cycle (June to mid-October), with prawn aquaculture taking place during the high salinity phase (November to April). Pokkali cultivation only produce 2000 kg of rice per hectare, making it slightly unprofitable. The rice plant residue after harvesting is left to rot in the water which subsequently acts as prawn feed. Prawn farming takes place from November to April. Sluice gates help in prawn culture filtering by maximizing the amount of saline water that enters the field and preventing the prawns from escaping. The two main cultivated prawns species are Penaeus monodon (Tiger prawn) and Penaeus indicus (White prawn). Prawns are typically collected in mid-April, especially two to three days before new full moon days, as tidal activity affects their movement. Prawn excreta serve as a natural fertilizer for rice cultivation; prawns feeding on rice cultivation stubbles help to minimize the occurrence of illness in rice to a minimum. It is an organic rice production approach with less cost than commercial rice farming because chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used.

Indigenous stories of mentorship

ABSTRACT This project aimed to share stories of six Indigenous mentees and their successes, struggles, and experiences in health science and in the Indigenous Mentorship Network Program. All participants were mentees within a mentorship network specific to their province. Mentees participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences, which were transcribed and qualitatively coded using narrative analysis and Indigenous Storywork method. Stories were organized into motifs, or recurring narrative themes. Story vignettes based on each motif were created to express prominent experiences mentees faced. Our analysis derived motifs of struggle, overcoming, and traditional ways of learning. This project is intended to give Indigenous mentees a voice, expose areas where health education can support them, and share experiences of strength through adversity. Overall, this information can be used to educate, assist Indigenous mentorship programs, and support Indigenous mentees in health science.