Indigenous Methods Research Articles

Orographic effects on droughts in a monsoon climate with the world's highest rainfall

AbstractDrought, a recurring natural phenomenon in South Asia's monsoon climate, presents challenges in delineating its spatiotemporal patterns within complex topographies. This study investigated the impact of the orographic barrier in the rice‐dominated agricultural region of northeastern India and Bangladesh on drought characteristics during 1951–2020, employing the relative Standardized Precipitation Index (rSPI) and relative Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index (rSPEI) across 3‐, 6‐ and 12‐month scales. The results indicate that even in the rainiest region of the world, droughts extend beyond the limits of the dry season inherent in the monsoon regime. These mostly regional droughts exhibit weak correlations with the core of the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Bangladesh. The region's orographic barrier has a greater influence on drought intensity than on frequency. The rSPI index, which depends solely on rainfall, may overestimate drought intensity and frequency in regions with high seasonal/annual rainfall and substantial intermonthly variability. In contrast, the rSPEI index, which depends on both rainfall and potential evapotranspiration (PET), better reflects the spatial variation of drought in complex terrain, identifying the leeward hinterland of the orographic barrier as the most drought‐prone area. The two indices give similar results for drought characteristics away from the barrier. Furthermore, the orographic barrier exerts a negligible influence on the trends in rSPI and rSPEI. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlights the influences of the rainfall coefficient of variation and elevation on rSPI, while the PET coefficient of variation strongly influences rSPEI. Strategies to minimize the adverse effects of drought in complex topography and year‐round cropping should be local and season‐specific. These include using shorter‐growing, drought‐resistant rice varieties and adjusting planting schedules in rain shadow areas during the summer monsoon. These efforts should be complemented by integrating indigenous irrigation methods with modern practices such as roof water harvesting and tube wells in winter.

Custodial Grandmothers in the Attappadi Indigenous Belt of Kerala: Towards Recognition and Action

The phenomenon of custodial grandparents has increased in South Asia and elsewhere, partly due to the growing trend of parents migrating for work, but often because of the untimely demise of one or both parents, illness, alcoholism and related issues affecting the birth parents. Adopting a phenomenological lens, this article explores the lived experiences and perceived needs of 10 custodial grandmothers from the Attappadi indigenous belt in Kerala to discuss how they cope with multiple challenges. Data gathering through indigenous storytelling methods and an interpretive phenomenological analysis points to new forms of feminisation of caregiving through custodial grandparenting, which require further research. Within the complex socio-economic and health contexts of the selected sample, our fieldwork explores the implications of the absence of the middle generation, which creates a network of intersecting disadvantages. We argue that the resulting calls for better support networks to assist these indigenous custodial grandmothers need to be addressed effectively at the levels of policy and practice.

A Review of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Their Application in Sustainable Solid Waste Management

Indigenous communities have always used their knowledge systems to improve their quality of life. For example, rural communities’ resort to indigenous cultural practices to manage their own waste when local administration lacks coordinated ways to manage waste. In the context of indigenous knowledge systems, the idea of waste is non-existent. As indigenous knowledge is believed to provide a holistic framework for an approach that effectively promotes sustainability. As such, the current study conducted a systematic review to evaluate the extent to which indigenous solid waste management practices contribute to sustainable waste disposal methods. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, a literature search was carried out in the field of indigenous solid waste management practices. The results indicate a significant imbalance in the amount of conclusive evidence that has been produced to date that suggests the sustainability of indigenous solid waste management practices. It is for this reason that the current study has discovered a substantial literature gap in sustainable solid waste management associated with indigenous knowledge systems. This is an unprecedented trend, especially for a knowledge system that is supposed to promote sustainability practices. However, to improve the likelihood of incorporating indigenous solid waste disposal methods into modern practices, it is imperative to understand the foundational elements that contribute to the advancement of sustainability, lest the sustainability aspect associated with this knowledge system in the discipline of solid waste management remain a mere rhetoric.

"We don't separate out these things. Everything is related": Partnerships with Indigenous Communities to Design, Implement, and Evaluate Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities.

Multilevel interventions (MLIs) are appropriate to reduce health disparities among Indigenous peoples because of their ability to address these communities' diverse histories, dynamics, cultures, politics, and environments. Intervention science has highlighted the importance of context-sensitive MLIs in Indigenous communities that can prioritize Indigenous and local knowledge systems and emphasize the collective versus the individual. This paradigm shift away from individual-level focus interventions to community-level focus interventions underscores the need for community engagement and diverse partnerships in MLI design, implementation, and evaluation. In this paper, we discuss three case studies addressing how Indigenous partners collaborated with researchers in each stage of the design, implementation, and evaluation of MLIs to reduce health disparities impacting their communities. We highlight the following: (1) collaborations with multiple, diverse tribal partners to carry out MLIs which require iterative, consistent conversations over time; (2) inclusion of qualitative and Indigenous research methods in MLIs as a way to honor Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as a way to understand a health disparity phenomenon in a community; and (3) relationship building, maintenance, and mutual respect among MLI partners to reconcile past research abuses, prevent extractive research practices, decolonize research processes, and generate co-created knowledge between Indigenous and academic communities.

Indigenous Pedagogy for Developing Essential Life-Skills of Children in Masaka District, Uganda

Contemporary education practice is widely seen as practices that blend conventional approaches with either new innovations or culturally tested practices. In a situation where being cultural or modern has its own drawbacks, towing the middle position becomes an inevitable choice. The paper presents findings from an exploratory sequential study that examined the influence of Indigenous Pedagogy (IP) on developing children's life skills in Masaka District, Uganda. It was anchored on Lewin's (1922) change theory; likened to Manion and Cohen's (1975) reinvention theory and adopted as a restoration theory. Snow bowling, purposive and stratified random sampling were used to select 44 participants. Twenty (20) key informants including 6 parents, 2 elders, 6 religious, 2 District Education Officers; 2 Ministry officials and 2 local council leaders were interviewed. Twenty-four (24) other respondents participated in three-eight-member Focus Group Discussions (FDGs). The findings portray replicable practices of skilling based on deep-rooted beliefs set on standards that are supported by aspirations in harmony with nature. The study found that methods used by Masaka parents combined theory and practice daily; in lessons that happen where knowledge was situated, mainly through apprenticeship, attachment, heart-to-heart and one-to-one encounters. They also embraced global citizenry based on firm principles of what Africans value. The study concluded that indigenous methods were still useful in grooming children with life skills of productive work, character, positive attitudes, mental acuity and social orientation. It recommends that teacher education institutions require academic programmes blending contemporary with indigenous methods anchored on core African values to prepare pro-cultural-modern teachers. To link the valuable past to the inevitable contemporary ways of knowing, the application of hybrid pedagogy becomes imperative

풍납토성 기초 토목기술 비교연구 —중국의 사례를 중심으로—

This paper analyzes the foundational construction techniques of Pungnap Earthen Fortress in Seoul and compares them with examples of Chinese earthen fortresses, exploring their respective characteristics. Elements such as the position and structure of the fortresses, which had previously been overlooked, were examined, and commonalities were derived from components such as foundational planning, stone or gravel bedding, wooden pilings, use of the earthen mound method, and the use of stone facings on walls. Through this, we inferred the process of the introduction of Pungnap Earthen Fortress's foundational techniques and inspected the progression of foundational engineering. A significant number of foundational construction techniques used in the construction of Pungnap Earthen Fortress were identified as techniques commonly used in China at the time for the construction of earthen fortresses, bridges, and harbor facilities. Especially, the discovery of these techniques in the regions of Liaodong and Xuantu provides clues about the origin and transmission routes of the foundational techniques of Pungnap Earthen Fortress. Furthermore, the construction method using the earth mound method is not found frequently in China as a comparable case, leading to the assessment that it evolved as a unique foundational technique within Baekje. In essence, Baekje adopted foreign techniques and combined them with indigenous methods to complete the large-scale structure known as Pungnap Earthen Fortress. The foundational techniques utilized in the construction of Pungnap Earthen Fortress continued to be applied and developed in the outer city wall, Buyeo and the mountain fortresses of the later periods of Baekje, and were eventually transmitted to Japan.

Application of Indigenous Knowledge in Agriculture in Pandemic Situation

This article highlights the social, economic and daily life conditions of the global public during the terrible epidemic of Corona virus that started in Wuhan province of China in December 2019. What kind of problems common people had to face in their daily life during this terrible life-destroying and social-disconnecting epidemic situation that has come down abnormally in the lives of common people all over the world has been highlighted here. Food, drink and shelter are one of the three pillars of people’s lives, one of the problems of people during the corona virus was food and what kind of problems arose in the field of farmers and agriculture producing these crops are highlighted here. In this article, the farmers were temporarily deprived of various uses of science and technology in the field of agriculture during the corona period, so the contribution of the indigenous technology and knowledge that the farmers maintained equally in the agricultural field and crop production by using indigenous technology and knowledge as an alternative How it was used in agriculture is presented here. During the Corona period, the public life was disturbed and the common people did not have the supply of various types of chemical substances used daily to maintain the food supply and the prosperity of the crops. However, the advantages and disadvantages faced by farmers in crop production using traditional indigenous methods and knowledge are presented here. The way farmers and their crops did not deprive the common people of food in the quarantine situation during the corona period despite multiple problems is considered as one of the feats to disrupt the public life then and now.

Oral hygiene practices and associated factors among rural communities in northwest Ethiopia

BackgroundPoor oral hygiene affects the overall health and quality of life. However, the oral hygiene practice in rural communities and contributing factors are not well documented. Accordingly, this study was conducted to assess oral hygiene practices and associated factors among rural communities in northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 1190 households. Data were collected using a structured and pretested questionnaire, prepared based on a review of relevant literature. The questionnaire comprises socio-demographic information, access to health and hygiene messages, oral hygiene practices, and water quality. We assessed oral hygiene practices with these criteria: mouth wash with clean water in every morning, mouth wash with clean water after eating, brushing teeth regularly, and avoiding gum pricking. Gum pricking in this study is defined as sticking needles or wires into gums to make the gums black for beauty. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with oral hygiene practices. Significant associations were declared on the basis of adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p-values < 0.05.ResultsResults showed that all the family members usually washed their mouth with clean water in everyday morning and after eating in 65.2% and 49.6% of the households, respectively. Furthermore, 29.9% of the households reported that all the family members regularly brushed their teeth using toothbrush sticks and one or more of the family members in 14.5% of the households had gum pricking. Overall, 42.9% (95% CI: 39.9, 45.6%) of the households had good oral hygiene practices. Health and/or hygiene education was associated with good oral hygiene practices in the area (AOR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.21).ConclusionMore than half of the households had poor oral hygiene practices in the area and cleaning of teeth with toothpastes is not practiced in the area, where as gum pricking is practiced in more than one-tenth of the households. The local health department needs provide community-level oral health education/interventions, such as washing mouth with clean water at least twice a day, teeth brushing using indigenous methods such as toothbrush sticks or modern methods such as toothpastes, and avoiding gum pricking to promote oral health.

Navigating across anthropological and Haudenosaunee knowledge: co-developing research using CBPR and Kaswenta (Two-Row Wampum) principles in partnership with Six Nations of the Grand River.

As part of the Ohneganos research project, funded through the Global Water Futures (GWF), we document the ways we worked across Haudenosaunee and anthropological knowledge to assess the impact of water insecurity on holistic maternal health. This research was led by the Six Nation Birthing Center (SNBC), inspired by Haudenosaunee Kaswenta treaty principles. We utilized community-based participatory research (CBPR) and Indigenous research methods (IRMs), such as storytelling, to find common ground of dialogue and reciprocity. In doing so, this research goes beyond traditional anthropological ways of data collection and fieldwork and highlights the importance of active community direction and participation. We argue that different knowledge from the researchers does not need to be ignored or reduced to one singular perspective to work across worldviews. Instead, acknowledging and highlighting the differences will lead to innovative methods and scholarship. This paper contributes to the literature of research methods and policies and will be helpful to Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous researchers working together.

Yarning about e-mental health tools: First Nations Australian youth perspectives of well-being and e-health

This study implemented Indigenous research methods, including yarning, to understand First Nations youth’s perspectives of social and emotional well-being and how e-health can support their well-being. Six First Nations youth (aged 18–25 years, M = 21.33) based in Victoria, Australia, yarned with the First Nations researcher between April and July 2022. Yarns emphasised the importance of connection to family, Community, Mob, Country, and Spirit in maintaining and strengthening well-being. These findings were extended to yarns about e-health, where it was recommended that trust and cultural safety be considered in their design and implementation. These considerations should be explored in light of the ongoing impacts of colonisation, which contribute to fear and mistrust of governments experienced by First Nations youth. The findings provide meaningful contributions to the growing field of e-health and amplify First Nations voices to guide the development of culturally safe and effective e-health.

Biodiversity, Ecomusicology and Fostered Nominal Ecology

The trajectory of different nations of the world has recently been fixated on climate actions and sustainability. The African continent has joined the train too, as countries begin to take strides toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on sustainable society and climate action. Thus, it becomes necessary to inquire about the viability of a combination of the traditional beliefs and cultural ethos with ecological projects, in achieving these sustainable development goals. Could the already established indigenous systems in Africa be of practical contribution to the protection of biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and other climate actions? Could these already institutionalised and ethnographic programmes engender inclusive climate activity? Nigeria boasts of diverse ecological and biocentric indigenous beliefs, cultures and practices. One of such is the Osun-Osogbo sacred grove. This grove is a concentration of flora and fauna diversity, which has been preserved for years and has also been rooted in spiritual and physical beliefs. Some of the fauna species found in this grove are the African Civet, African giant Snail, and African giant Rat, among others which include Aves. Some flora species include African teak, Camwood, Palm tree, bamboo, and a host of others. Also, music has played a major role in the advocacy for conservation and environmental protection. Singing some songs at the Osun-Osogbo grove and during the Osun-Osogbo festival ensures orientation, sensitisation and promotion of eco-friendly habits, thereby serving ecomusicological purposes. This study therefore focuses on the Osun-Osogbo grove and indigenous values to present a possible sustainable society. Thus, as a response to climate change, this paper draws on these values and the Osun-Osogbo grove to propose conservationism, and artificial cultivation of biodiversity for climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience, using indigenous methods.

The Many (De)colonial Lives of Kāpena George Gilley

This article provides the first full biographical account of history’s only known Native Hawaiian whaling captain, George Gilley, whose life story ranges across the entire North Pacific, throughout the Bering Sea, and into the Arctic Circle. It adds to a growing body of work on Indigenous participation in colonial institutions, including Pacific commercial whaling, and makes a case for using relevant Indigenous epistemologies and methods to locate Native agency within the largely non-Native sources born of those institutions. Gilley’s mo‘olelo (story/history) specifically fits into the burgeoning field of Native Hawaiian biography, which, it is argued, should expand to consider historic Hawaiians who left few written records. The article demonstrates a model for achieving this expansion, by treating Gilley’s hybridized, (de)colonial mobility and embodied, inherited knowledge as legible evidence of his sovereignty within the Euro-American economic, racial, and nationalistic structures that nineteenth-century whaling purveyed throughout the Pacific.

Living in the Telling

Stories provide listeners or readers a doorway to understand the storyteller’s context and live in the telling. We, as Māori Indigenous scholars (doctoral students, researchers, and academics), bring together our stories, in the forms of creative nonfiction and poetry located in Aotearoa New Zealand and Te Whenua Moemoeā Australia, to tell the ways we navigate colonial spaces while also imagining our desired future. Centring Indigenous storytelling methods and sensory ethnography, we bring together the interrelatedness that situates our stories across time and place. The next wave of Indigenous researchers will be stepping into these spaces that we now walk, so it is timely and crucial that we find creative ways to provide clearer direction for them. We tell our stories in this paper as an act of hope that our stories might spark a fire in the reader’s heart to also tell theirs.

Indigenous Preparation Methods of Medicinal Plants Used for the Treatment of Small Ruminant Diseases in Imo State, Nigeria

The study examined the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of small ruminant diseases in Imo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 120 small ruminant farmers for the study. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data. Data were analysed using mean and percentages. Retained placenta (82%), pneumonia (82%), foot rot (82%) and helminthosis (81%) were the common diseases of small ruminants in the area. Available medicinal plants were Garcinia kola (93%), Ageratum conyzoides (92%), Costus afer (91%) and Vernonia amygdalina (80%). Many medicinal plants were used in the treatment of more than one small ruminant disease. Roots (98%), leaves (98%), juice (93%) and stems (91%) were the highly used plant parts for the preparation of the remedies. Squeezing (98%), mixing with palm oil (97%) and pounding (91%) were the highly used preparation methods for herbal remedies by the farmers. The study concluded that medicinal plant species were used for the treatment of small ruminant diseases in the study area. Therefore, the government and other relevant stakeholders should promote the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of small ruminant diseases. &#x0D;  

Farmers’ perceptions of integrated desert locust management: a case study in Isiolo and Meru Counties of Kenya

Abstract The destructive nature of desert locust invasions in terms of reduced food security and loss of agricultural income necessitates effective control strategies. While chemical spraying is effective, it is harmful to the environment, human, and animal health. Therefore, an alternative is the implementation of an integrated desert locust management (IDLM) approach that entails surveillance and early warning systems, rational combination of chemicals, biological measures, and indigenous control methods. Adopting IDLM depends on an understanding of human behavior and perceptions as an avenue for disseminating information for effective control. However, there is limited knowledge of the drivers of farmers’ perceptions of IDLM. This study sought to fill the above knowledge gap by applying the principal component analysis method to develop a composite index that was subsequently used in a regression analysis of data collected from a sample of 391 farmers in Isiolo and Meru counties in Kenya. Descriptive results showed that informal sources and channels were the main sources of desert locust information, and most farmers held positive or neutral perceptions. The regression analysis results highlighted the role of formal and informal sources of information, private land ownership, and previous shocks in influencing farmers’ perceptions of integrated desert locust management. The study recommends targeted messaging of desert locust management approaches through coordinated surveillance and timely response by national and international agencies, empowering community leaders as the key entry point, and building local capacity for accurate observation and timely reporting of invasions as measures towards sustainable desert locust control efforts.

Self Perceived Stress and Oral Health Related Quality of Life Among Tribal Gypsies in Chennai

Introduction: Certain ethnic groups continue to practice traditional values and beliefs while remaining geographically or socially isolated. These groups also tend to rely on traditional indigenous methods of treatment rather than accessing oral health treatments when necessary. Past studies of the tribal Narikuravar population's oral health state and understanding of oral hygiene measures revealed that both were in very poor condition, necessitating greater dental care. Poor oral health also implies that their general health will be compromised, affecting their ability to work as well. Aim: To assess the self-perceived stress and oral health-related quality of life among tribal gypsies in Chennai Materials and methods: The study was conducted among the Narikuravar tribal gypsies living in Thirumullaivoyal, Chennai, in April 2022. The present study included 320 study participants in total. Using the perceived stress scale (1983) and the OIDP scale, the tribal population's self-perceived stress and oral health quality of life were evaluated. To determine the statistical significance with , descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation test were used. Results: Our study shows a high-stress level of 30.6%, a Moderate stress level of 56.3%, and a low-stress level of 13.1% among tribal gypsies in Chennai. The correlation between stress levels and sleeping and relaxation among tribal gypsies in Chennai shows a high association between high-stress levels and their impact on everyday life. A chi-square test was done, and the association was found to be statistically significant, P-value Conclusion: Many nomads had oral health perceptions significantly correlated with their traditional habits, and their oral health had worsened. To enhance their oral health status, steps must be taken to increase their access to care and reduce barriers.

Effects of Various Indigenous Ripening Methods on Biochemical Characteristics of Banana Cv. Chenichampa

A study was conducted with objectives of how the native ripening technique affected the quality parameters of the Chenichampa variety of banana. The ripening techniques used during the period of experiment are as follows: T1 stands for ripening in a covered pit with smoke; T2 stands for ripening tomato fruit; T3 for ripening with paddy straw; T4 stands for ripening in a covered pit without smoke; T5 for ripening with calcium carbide; and T6, or naturally ripening at room temperature, which is the control. The outcome showed that, of all the ripening techniques, fruit ripened with ripe tomatoes maintained the lowest titratable acidity (0.23%), the maximum TSS (21.50%), and the reducing sugar (5.43%). Treatment T2 had the highest recorded moisture content (73.04%) and ash content (1.76%).

Indigenous Feminist Evaluation Methods: A Case Study in “My Two Aunties”

This paper offers some key characteristics of Indigenous feminist approaches to evaluation and spotlights a unique and promising example of Indigenous feminist evaluation methods in the My Two Aunties (M2A) program. Though Indigenous feminist evaluation methods are diverse, complex, and community-specific, some general characteristics we point to in this analysis are commitments to anti-colonial conceptions of family, gender, and belonging, an assertion of the epistemic and evaluative importance of felt knowledge, the explicit confrontation of settler colonialism’s impact on Indigenous life, and the commitment to the transformative potential of community-led caretaking. We then turn to what we see as an exemplar of Indigenous feminist evaluation methods—the evaluation component of the My Two Aunties (M2A) program. Our paper will provide theoretical scaffolding for Indigenous feminist evaluation and add to the growing body of Indigenous scholarship that challenges what “counts” as evidence in settler scholarship arenas.

Towards collective community education: Pasifika diabetes health forums in Southeast Queensland, Australia

Collective community education co-designed with the Māori (Indigenous people of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Pasifika (Pacific Islander peoples living in Australia) communities through participatory community engagement, Indigenous methods and cultural knowledge are vital for development and implementation of diabetes community forums. A community-based participatory action research was co-designed with three Pasifika diabetes community forums in partnership with Māori and Pasifika communities, a university and government health organisations in Southeast Queensland. The forums provided a culturally safe space for the communities to collectively engage in diabetes education, health checks and cultural knowledge sharing. The outcomes of these forums led to co-development of a Pasifika Women’s Diabetes Wellness Program aimed at promoting diabetes prevention and management for the Māori and Pasifika diaspora in Australia and internationally. Co-designed community forums have the potential to address health equity through inclusion of communities and key stakeholders in a collaborative agenda, empowering communities to improve health outcomes.

Whakawhanaungatanga-Building trust and connections: A qualitative study indigenous Māori patients and whānau (extended family network) hospital experiences.

Investigated the experiences of Māori (the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa, New Zealand) patients and whānau (extended family network) engaging with acute hospital inpatient services and their priorities for a Māori-centred model of relational care. A qualitative Māori-centred research design using a Thought Space Wānanga (learning through in-depth group discussion, deliberation and consideration) approach. Two wānanga were conducted between May 2022 and June 2022, with 13 Māori patients who had been acutely hospitalized within the past 12 months and their whānau members. The first wānanga utilized storytelling and journey mapping to collect data. The second wānanga refined the initial themes. Wānanga were audio-recorded and then inductively coded and developed into themes. Thirteen patients and whānau attended the first wānanga, while 10 patients and whānau participated in the second wānanga). Four themes were developed: (1) Whakawhanaungatanga (establishing connections and relationships), (2) Whakamana (uplifting the status and esteem of Māori), (3) Whakawhitiwhiti kōrero (the importance of communicating, discussing and deliberating) and (4) Kotahitanga (working together with purpose) all provide insights into the importance of effectively engaging and connecting with Māori patients and whānau when acutely hospitalized. The experiences and priorities of Māori patients and whānau affirm the international literature, suggesting that Indigenous relational concepts are critical to building relationships, connections and trust. Despite existing healthcare models for working with Indigenous peoples, their poor application contributes to sub-optimal healthcare experiences at all points of their healthcare journey. A relational mode of practice focused on engagement and forming connections better meets the needs of Indigenous peoples engaging with inpatient health services. Despite the existence of Indigenous models of care, Indigenous peoples consistently report a lack of engagement and connection when accessing inpatient health services. Without establishing relationships, applying models of care is challenging. What problem did the study address? Internationally, healthcare systems are consistently ill-equipped to deliver culturally safe care for Indigenous and marginalized peoples, evident in ongoing health inequities. Like other reports of Indigenous experiences of health services, Māori express dissatisfaction with care delivery in an acute inpatient setting. This study investigated Māori patients and whānau experiences engaging with acute hospital inpatient services and their priorities for a Māori-centred model of relational care. What were the main findings? Māori patients and whānau recounted negative experiences with healthcare professionals lacking effective relationships and trust. Satisfaction occurred when engagement with health care professionals resembled Indigenous cultural rituals of encounter that considered their holistic, collective and dynamic worldviews. Previous models of relational care, while helpful, are not Indigenous and so do not address their needs, such as engagement as a mode of practice (how) to achieve this. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? This research impacts Indigenous peoples' health outcomes, particularly Māori, and nurses and clinicians working and interacting within acute inpatient and other hospital settings. Indigenous research methods support co-constructing knowledge for translation into practical outcomes through transformational practices, policies and theory development. We used the Consolidated Criteria for Strengthening the Reporting of Health Research Involving Indigenous Peoples (CONSIDER) statement (see File S2-CONSIDER Checklist) and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines (see File S3-COREQ Checklist). Māori patients and their whānau interviewed about their experiences were involved in data interpretation.