Remote Australian Indigenous Communities Research Articles

Built Environment Features and Cardiometabolic Mortality and Morbidity in Remote Indigenous Communities in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Indigenous Australians experience poorer health than non-Indigenous Australians, with cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) being the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Built environmental (BE) features are known to shape cardiometabolic health in urban contexts, yet little research has assessed such relationships for remote-dwelling Indigenous Australians. This study assessed associations between BE features and CMD-related morbidity and mortality in a large sample of remote Indigenous Australian communities in the Northern Territory (NT). CMD-related morbidity and mortality data were extracted from NT government health databases for 120 remote Indigenous Australian communities for the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2015. BE features were extracted from Serviced Land Availability Programme (SLAP) maps. Associations were estimated using negative binomial regression analysis. Univariable analysis revealed protective effects on all-cause mortality for the BE features of Education, Health, Disused Buildings, and Oval, and on CMD-related emergency department admissions for the BE feature Accommodation. Incidence rate ratios (IRR’s) were greater, however, for the BE features Infrastructure Transport and Infrastructure Shelter. Geographic Isolation was associated with elevated mortality-related IRR’s. Multivariable regression did not yield consistent associations between BE features and CMD outcomes, other than negative relationships for Indigenous Location-level median age and Geographic Isolation. This study indicates that relationships between BE features and health outcomes in urban populations do not extend to remote Indigenous Australian communities. This may reflect an overwhelming impact of broader social inequity, limited correspondence of BE measures with remote-dwelling Indigenous contexts, or a ‘tipping point’ of collective BE influences affecting health more than singular BE features.

The efficacy of sampling strategies for estimating scabies prevalence.

BackgroundEstimating community level scabies prevalence is crucial for targeting interventions to areas of greatest need. The World Health Organisation recommends sampling at the unit of households or schools, but there is presently no standardised approach to scabies prevalence assessment. Consequently, a wide range of sampling sizes and methods have been used. As both prevalence and drivers of transmission vary across populations, there is a need to understand how sampling strategies for estimating scabies prevalence interact with local epidemiology to affect the accuracy of prevalence estimates.MethodsWe used a simulation-based approach to compare the efficacy of different scabies sampling strategies. First, we generated synthetic populations broadly representative of remote Australian Indigenous communities and assigned a scabies status to individuals to achieve a specified prevalence using different assumptions about scabies epidemiology. Second, we calculated an observed prevalence for different sampling methods and sizes.ResultsThe distribution of prevalence in subpopulation groups can vary substantially when the underlying scabies assignment method changes. Across all of the scabies assignment methods combined, the simple random sampling method produces the narrowest 95% confidence interval for all sample sizes. The household sampling method introduces higher variance compared to simple random sampling when the assignment of scabies includes a household-specific component. The school sampling method overestimates community prevalence when the assignment of scabies includes an age-specific component.DiscussionOur results indicate that there are interactions between transmission assumptions and surveillance strategies, emphasizing the need for understanding scabies transmission dynamics. We suggest using the simple random sampling method for estimating scabies prevalence. Our approach can be adapted to various populations and diseases.

Aboriginal Community Co-Design and Co-Build—Far More than a House

There is urgent need for a new model to address the housing crisis in remote Australian Indigenous communities. Decades of major government expenditure have not significantly improved the endemic problems, which include homelessness, overcrowding, substandard dwellings, and unemployment. Between 2017–2020, Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health (FISH) worked with the remote Kimberley Aboriginal community, Bawoorrooga, by facilitating the co-design and co-build of a culturally and climatically appropriate home with community members. This housing model incorporates a program of education, health, governance, justice system programs, and land tenure reforms. Build features incorporate sustainable local/recycled materials and earth construction, and ‘Solar Passive Design’. The project faced challenges, including limited funding, extreme climate and remoteness, cultural barriers, and mental health issues. Nevertheless, the program was ultimately successful, producing a house which is culturally designed, climatically/thermally effective, comparatively cheap to build, and efficient to run. The project produced improvements in mental health, schooling outcomes, reduced youth incarceration, and other spheres of community development, including enterprise and community governance. Co-design and co-build projects are slower and more complex than the conventional model of external contracting, but the outcomes can be far superior across broad areas of social and emotional wellbeing, house quality and comfort, energy consumption, long-term maintenance, community physical and mental health, pride, and ownership. These factors are essential in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, trauma, and engagement with the justice system. This paper provides a narrative case study of the project and outlines the core principles applied and the lessons learned.

Investing In Communities: Forging New Ground in Corporate Community Codevelopment through Relational and Psychological Pathways

Within management scholarship and practice, corporate community investments are heralded as an important form of corporate social responsibility. Yet, community development scholars have engaged in discourse and debate regarding corporate community investment, surmising that in some instances it does more harm than good. Where management research has not focused—and can substantially contribute to both theory and practice—is on how to implement corporate community investment for mutual gain. Integrating the fields of management and community development, I provide an evidence-based theory for understanding corporate community codevelopment, addressing relational and psychological pathways for behavioral change. This model emerged from a longitudinal qualitative ethnographic study of corporate-community investment programs, involving 1,176 hours of observations, 63 interviews, as well as narratives and reflections from participants representing 11 large corporations, at-risk remote Indigenous Australian communities, and a nonprofit organization. The 35 programs in focus involved initiatives such as family income management, educational trusts, literacy programs, and nutritional and substance abuse campaigns. The results in competency-building and community development have exceeded the expectations of all parties. Implications for theory, research, policy, and practice in management and community development are included.

Complete Genome Sequences of Three of the Earliest Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated in Remote Western Australia.

ABSTRACTInitially reported in Western Australia in the 1980s, community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has become a major cause of S. aureus infections globally. We report the complete genome sequences of three of the earliest CA-MRSA strains isolated from remote Australian Indigenous communities in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Identifying Environmental Determinants Relevant to Health and Wellbeing in Remote Australian Indigenous Communities: A Scoping Review of Grey Literature.

The high prevalence of preventable infectious and chronic diseases in Australian Indigenous populations is a major public health concern. Existing research has rarely examined the role of built and socio-political environmental factors relating to remote Indigenous health and wellbeing. This research identified built and socio-political environmental indicators from publicly available grey literature documents locally-relevant to remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Existing planning documents with evidence of community input were used to reduce the response burden on Indigenous communities. A scoping review of community-focused planning documents resulted in the identification of 1120 built and 2215 socio-political environmental indicators. Indicators were systematically classified using an Indigenous indicator classification system (IICS). Applying the IICS yielded indicators prominently featuring the “community infrastructure” domain within the built environment, and the “community capacity” domain within the socio-political environment. This research demonstrates the utility of utilizing existing planning documents and a culturally appropriate systematic classification system to consolidate environmental determinants that influence health and disease occurrence. The findings also support understanding of which features of community-level built and socio-political environments amenable to public health and social policy actions might be targeted to help reduce the prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases in Indigenous communities.

Drinking water delivery in the outer Torres Strait Islands: A case study addressing sustainable water issues in remote Indigenous communities

ABSTRACT Safe drinking water provision in remote Australian Indigenous communities can raise many challenges. An initiative to enhance drinking water treatment was piloted in Australia’s remote Torres Strait Islands. It was co-designed through close involvement of Torres Strait Islander local government officers and water operators. Data collection and analysis was undertaken independent researchers to assess the effectiveness of the pilot, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative sources, including field visits to the two Torres Strait Islands. The findings identified three key features for an effective programme of safe water delivery: appropriate infrastructure that is ‘fit for purpose, place and people’; mentoring and technical support for remotely located water operators, and cooperation across relevant state and local government agencies. The pilot initiative has adaptive potential for other remote communities and for other basic services, including wastewater treatment and solid waste management.

Developing Indigenous commercial forestry in northern Australia

ABSTRACT Indigenous communities in northern Australia own and manage around 46 million ha of forest. Some of these forests currently support a small and socioeconomically important Indigenous commercial forestry and forest products industry. There is much unrealised potential for the further development of this culturally appropriate industry for remote northern Australian Indigenous communities. This study presents new and existing data on forests and forestry in regions across northern Australia and uses a literature review and stakeholder consultations to explore the growth potential of Indigenous commercial forestry in these regions. Relevant literature was mapped to identify trends, biases and gaps; three regional forums were held; and case studies were prepared for three Indigenous commercial forestry enterprises—one in western Cape York Peninsula in Queensland and one each in east Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory. These three regions have substantial Indigenous commercial forestry growth potential. The case studies and subsequent discussions point to key opportunities, challenges and needs for the further development of the Indigenous commercial forestry industry in northern Australia. The discussion centres around four emergent themes—commercial native forests, plantation forestry, mine rehabilitation and capacity building. Policy, investment and other priority research and development needs are outlined. These include native forest inventory, silvicultural trials and long-term monitoring; new plantation forestry trials; pre-mining forest salvage harvesting and integrated product utilisation; the processing of local timbers in community sawmills for local applications; multiple-use community forestry in mine rehabilitation; locally designed, field-based ‘forest ranger’ training programs; technical and tertiary professional forestry education pathways; and business development support, including mentoring. The findings can inform decision-making by regional development researchers, policymakers and investors to support local Indigenous commercial forestry initiatives for community, environmental and livelihood benefits in northern Australia and elsewhere.

Global Strategies for Population Management of Domestic Cats (Felis catus): A Systematic Review to Inform Best Practice Management for Remote Indigenous Communities in Australia.

Simple SummaryA systematic review process was used to identify the current global cat population management practices for owned, free-roaming cat populations, particularly those suited to remote Indigenous communities in Australia. Based on this review, a combination of three methods is recommended. The first method, Surgical Sterilisation (SS), requires owners to take their socialised cats to a facility for surgical sterilisation and then take them home. The second method, Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) traps, neuters (sterilises) and returns healthy owned cats, which are unsocialised to the point where trapping is necessary, to their homes, and the third method, Trap-Remove (TR), traps and removes unwanted social cats via adoption and unhealthy cats via euthanasia. Conducting these three methods together over a long-term period appears to be consistent with current global best practice for humane and ethical management of cat populations in these communities.Pet domestic cat (Felis catus) populations are increasing all around the world, resulting in an increase in contact with humans and wildlife, potentially spreading zoonotic diseases and predating on wildlife. With the recently identified rise in cat populations in remote Indigenous communities in Australia, culturally appropriate cat population management strategies are required. A systematic review process was conducted to review the current global cat population management practices that are suitable for owned, free-roaming cat populations in these communities. Eight articles on in-situ field cat populations and five studies simulating computer modelled cat populations reported results of 66 population management interventions. Surgical Sterilisation (SS) was used in all socialised owned cat articles. The trap–neuter–release (TNR) method was used most frequently on unsocialised cats and gained the best results when the trap–remove (TR) method was used concurrently to adopt out unwanted social cats and euthanise ill or injured cats. The results of this review suggest that long-term TNR/SS programs supplemented with TR provide the current most ethically sound best practice, humane method of managing cat populations in remote Australian Indigenous communities. It is also recognised that no one plan will fit all, and that further research on the micro-level techniques used to deploy both TNR and TR needs to occur, and that culturally appropriate community consultation during all processes is vital in achieving a sustainable management program.

Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Collaborative Sustainable Water Governance in Remote Australian Indigenous Communities

Collaboration between government agencies and communities for sustainable water governance in remote Indigenous communities is espoused as a means to contribute to more equitable, robust, and long-term decision-making and to ensure that water services contribute to broader considerations of physical, social, and economic prosperity. In Australia, the uptake of collaborative water governance in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island contexts has been slow and few examples exist from which to inform policy and practice. This study identifies barriers to uptake of collaborative sustainable water governance, drawing from qualitative interviews with water practitioners working in remote Indigenous Australia and analysis of key project documentation. Thematic analysis revealed discrete barriers across five key categories: (1) governance arrangements, (2) economic and financial, (3) capacity and skills, (4) data and information, and (5) cultural values and norms, with many barriers identified, unique to the remote Indigenous Australian context. The paper provides insights into how to address these barriers strategically to create transformative and sustainable change for Indigenous communities. The results contribute to the greater body of knowledge on sustainable and collaborative water governance, and they are of relevance for broader water management, policy, and research.

Barriers and opportunities for behavior change in managing high water demand in water scarce Indigenous communities: an Australian perspective

Abstract Managing water demand by reducing water consumption and improving water use efficiency has become essential for ensuring water security. This research aimed to identify the primary determinants of household water consumption in an Australian Indigenous community to develop evidence-based water demand management policies and strategies that might be implemented by the water service provider. A behavior change framework was applied to investigate the opportunity, ability, and motivational determinants affecting household water consumption and conservation in an Australian Indigenous community. The lack of water conservation knowledge and skills of high water users could be barriers to saving water. Low water users have positive attitudes towards water conservation and a higher level of awareness about their own water use. While there is a lack of a belief that water shortages will occur, low water users do have concerns of vulnerability to droughts, and that could be a driver for their sense of obligation to engage in water conservation practices. The research recommended communication messages and tools to address identified barriers to enabling positive changes to water use behaviors, which have wider applications in remote Australian Indigenous communities.

Binaural processing and phonological awareness in Australian Indigenous children from the Northern Territory: A community based study

ObjectiveResearch has found that otitis media (OM) is highly prevalent in Australian Indigenous children, and repeated bouts of OM is often associated with minimal-to-moderate hearing loss. However, what is not yet clear is the extent to which OM with hearing loss impacts auditory signal processing specifically, but also binaural listening, listening in noise, and the potential impact on phonological awareness (PA) – an important, emergent literacy skill. The goal of this study was to determine whether auditory abilities, especially binaural processing, were associated with PA in children from populations with a high incidence of OM, living in a remote Australian Indigenous community in the Northern Territory (NT). MethodsForty-seven 5-12-year-olds from a bilingual school participated in the study. All were tested to determine hearing sensitivity (pure tone audiometry and tympanometry), with PA measured on a test specifically developed in the first language of the children. OM often results in a hearing loss that can affect binaural processing: the Dichotic Digit difference Test (DDdT) was used to evaluate the children's dichotic listening and the Listening in Spatialized Noise-sentences test (LiSN-S) was used to evaluate their abilities to listen to speech-in-noise. ResultsSeventeen (36%) and 16 (34%) had compromised middle ear compliance (combined Type-B and –C) in the right and left ear respectively. Six children demonstrated a bilateral mild hearing loss, and another five children demonstrated a unilateral mild hearing loss. Thirty-one children were able to complete the DDdT listening task, whereas only 24 completed the speech in noise task (LiSN-S). Forty-four children (94%) were able to complete the letter identification subtask, comprising part of the PA task. The findings revealed that age was significantly correlated with all tasks such that the older children performed better across the board. Once hearing thresholds were controlled for, PA also correlated significantly with both binaural processing tasks of dichotic listening (r = 0.59, p < 0.001) and listening to speech in noise (r = −0.56, p = 0.005); indicating a potential association between early, emergent literacy and listening skills. ConclusionsThe significant correlations between phonological awareness and dichotic listening as well as phonological awareness with listening to speech-in-noise skills suggests auditory processing, rather than hearing thresholds per se, are associated to phonological awareness abilities of this cohort of children. This suggests that the ability to process the auditory signal is critical.

Dental caries experience in children of a remote Australian Indigenous community following passive and active preventive interventions.

ObjectivesTo report on changes in dental caries experience in children of a remote Indigenous community following 6 years of passive preventive intervention (PPI) and 2 years of active preventive intervention (API).MethodsFive consecutive cross‐sectional surveys were conducted on 4‐ to 15‐year‐old school going children between 2004 and 2017 following phases of Community Water Fluoridation (CWF), post‐cessation of CWF and API. Following treatment of any cavities present, API included selective placement of fissure sealants (FS) and an annual application of povidone‐iodine (PI) and fluoride varnish (FV). The World Health Organization's (WHO) “Oral Health Surveys – Basic Methods (4th Edition)” methodology was used in the first two and the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS‐II) in the latter three surveys. ICDAS‐II codes of 3‐6, representing advanced caries, were combined to allow comparison to the decayed component of the DMF caries index.ResultsAge‐weighted mean dmft decreased by 37.7% in the deciduous (DD) and DMFT by 35% in the permanent (PD) dentitions between the pre‐ and post‐CWF surveys, followed by increases of 25% and 7.7%, respectively, between the 1‐year and 4‐year post‐CWF surveys. After 2 years of API, mean dmft decreased by 14.3% and DMFT by 7.1%. Untreated dental caries however remained a concern in the DD and PD during both phases of PPI and of API. The decline in caries experience for both dentitions following 2 years of API exceeded that for the 6‐year period of PPI.ConclusionsThe annual reductions in caries experience of 7.2% (DD) and 8% (PD) during the phase of API exceeded annual decreases of 4.7% (DD) and 4.6% (PD) during the phase of PPI. Due to remoteness, cost and logistics in ensuring long‐term viability of API programmes, CWF remains necessary in this type of community.

Challenges of WASH in remote Australian Indigenous communities

Abstract Health and well-being are influenced by access and quality to safe drinking water, wastewater treatment, and hygiene practices and settings. This is recognised in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals for water and health. As a signatory to the UN Goals, Australia has a commitment to ensure the access and quality of these resources is attained for all, including Indigenous Australians living in remote communities. This research sought to identify the status of water, sanitation and hygiene services within remote communities on mainland Australia. Interviews were conducted with representatives of organisations providing water, sanitation and/or hygiene to communities. The quality and access of WASH services in remote Indigenous communities were revealed in this research as lacking at times in many communities. The qualitative results indicate that drinking water supplies can be contaminated by microbes or naturally occurring chemicals, wastewater treatment can be poorly maintained with irregular monitoring, and the health of residents is negatively impacted by crowding in houses, which affects residents' ability to maintain healthy hygiene levels of people, clothing, bedding and infrastructure. Effective responses require a collaborative and systemic approach by the respective government agencies responsible that effectively partner with – and adequately fund – Indigenous communities to provide options that are ‘fit for purpose, place and people’.

Associations between Community Environmental-Level Factors and Diet Quality in Geographically Isolated Australian Communities.

Remote Indigenous Australians experience disproportionately poor cardio-metabolic health, which is largely underpinned by adverse dietary intake related to social determinants. Little evidence exists about the community environmental-level factors that shape diet quality in this geographically isolated population group. This study aimed to explore the modifiable environmental-level factors associated with the features of dietary intake that underpin cardio-metabolic disease risk in this population group. Community-level dietary intake data were estimated from weekly store sales data collected throughout 2012 and linked with concurrent social, built, and physical environmental dimension data for 13 remote Indigenous Australian communities in the Northern Territory. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate associations. At the community level, store sales of discretionary foods were lower in communities with greater distance to a neighbouring store (r = −0.45 (p < 0.05)). Sales of sugar-sweetened beverages were lower in communities with higher levels of household crowding (r = −0.55 (p < 0.05)), higher levels of Indigenous unemployment (r = −0.62 (p = 0.02)), and greater distance to neighbouring stores (r = −0.61 (p = 0.004)). Modifiable environmental-level factors may be associated with adverse diet quality in remote Indigenous Australian communities and further investigations of these factors should be considered when developing policies to improve dietary intake quality in geographically isolated populations.

Reporting on key nutrition indicators as a decision support tool to improve diet quality in remote Indigenous Australian communities

Reporting on key nutrition indicators as a decision support tool to improve diet quality in remote Indigenous Australian communities

Burden of skin disease in two remote primary healthcare centres in northern and central Australia.

The burden of skin infections across all age groups in remote Australian Indigenous communities is currently unknown. In a retrospective audit of 439 residents from two remote communities presenting to health clinics, skin conditions were the most common reason for presentation (1603/7392, 22%) and 330/439 (75%) residents presented at least once with a skin infection. Skin infections are an under-appreciated and dominant reason for presentation to primary healthcare centres in these indigenous communities and public health campaigns to address this should incorporate all age groups.

“Need Everyone Helping to Keep Off Because Everyone Helping to Keep On” – Reducing Harms from Cannabis use in Remote Indigenous Australian Communities Involves More Than Just Users

Background: Heavy cannabis use in remote Indigenous Australian communities potentially contributes to existing health disparities. Community members’ perceptions of cannabis harms will support harm-minimization in these settings. Objective: To describe perceived cannabis harms reported by a cohort of Indigenous Australians living in small, isolated communities as an indication of their existing resources for change. Method: Inductive thematic analysis of 407 semi-structured interviews with participants in a cohort study in three remote communities in Cape York in far north Queensland (Australia) revealed major areas of concern about cannabis. Three attitudinal categories were defined according to reported cannabis impacts and urgency for change: 1- “LOW CONCERN” said cannabis was a low priority community issue; 2- “SOME CONCERN” tolerated cannabis use but identified personal or community-level concerns; and 3- “HIGH CONCERN” expressed strong aversion to cannabis and identified serious personal or community-level harms. The characteristics and the patterns of concerns were summarized across the groups. Results: “Category 1- LOW CONCERN” (n = 107), mostly current users, emphasized personal “financial impacts” and “stress.” “Category 2 – SOME CONCERN” (n = 141) perceived community level impacts warranting systematic action, particularly on “employment”; and “Category 3 – HIGH CONCERN” (n = 159), most of the never users, emphasized concerns for families and youth. Irrespective of use history, the cohort reported financial and abstinence-related stress, overlapping alcohol issues and generally endorsed alleviating impacts on children and youth. Conclusion: Nearly ubiquitous experience with cannabis harms and impacts in this cohort suggests resources for harm reduction including family and cultural obligation, stress relief, financial management, and engagement are available across all community members, not just users.

Cannabis Use Among Remote Indigenous Australians: Opportunities to Support Change Identified in Two Waves of Sampling.

Background: Cannabis harms among Indigenous populations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States may be magnified by poorer health and heavy use. However, little direct evidence is available to evaluate cannabis' impacts. In communities in remote northern Queensland (Australia) where cannabis has become endemic, opportunities to support change were investigated.Methods: Opportunistically recruited participants (aged 15–49 years) discussed their cannabis use history in interviews in two waves of population sampling in Cape York (Queensland). Wave 1 included 429 people (235 males and 194 females); and wave 2 included 402 people (228 males and 174 females). Current users (used cannabis during the year before interview) described frequency of use, amount consumed, expenditure and dependence symptoms. Other substance use was recorded for 402 people at wave 2.Results: Wave 1: 69% reported lifetime use and 44% current use. Males (55%) were more likely than females (30%) to be current users (P < 0.001). Most (96%) current users described at least weekly use; nearly half (48%) were “heavy” users (≥6 cones/session at least once/week) and 77% met cannabis dependence criteria. Three communities spent up to $AUD14,200/week on cannabis, around $AUD2.0 million/year, or around 9% of community people's total income on cannabis. The majority (79%) of current users wanted to quit or reduce their cannabis use. Wave 2: no difference was observed in the proportion of lifetime (69%, |z| = 0.04, P = 0.968) or current cannabis users (39%, |z| = 1.39, P = 0.164); nor current use among males (71%, |z| = 0.91, P = 0.363) or females (62%, |z| = 0.36, P = 0.719). However, a significant reduction in current users by 15% (|z| = 2.36, P = 0.018) was observed in one community. Of 105 wave 1 current users re-assessed in 2, 29 (27%) had ceased use. These participants reported cost and family commitments as reasons to change and that social support and employment enabled abstinence. Current and lifetime cannabis use were closely associated with all other substance use, particularly tobacco and alcohol (both P > 0.001).Conclusions: High rates of heavy cannabis use in remote Australian Indigenous communities warrant action. Successful cessation among some individuals suggests that significant opportunities are available to support change even where cannabis use may be endemic.

Postcolonial, decolonial research dilemmas: fieldwork in Australian Indigenous contexts

We come to this article as non-Indigenous teacher educators working as qualitative researchers in postcolonial/decolonial (Mignolo, 2000) times. We explore matters related to schooling in remote Australian Indigenous communities. In this article, we respond to Delamont’s invitation for qualitative researchers to revisit (Delamont and Hamilton, 1984) and think reflexively (Delamont, 2009) about our field work research methods. In doing so, attention is drawn to research processes involved with observing, narrating and writing lives and experiences. We highlight matters related to sequencing dilemmas (Delamont, 2009), the need to locate the self-as-researcher in the social (Delamont, 2007), and calling out ethical tensions associated with the ‘catch 22’ of confidentiality and acknowledgement (Delamont, 2007). Two separate researcher recounts of field notes are used to render visible our reflexive thinking as we attempt to negotiate Western educational research ethics policies and procedures and ways of knowing and being in Indigenous contexts.