"Oh No, We Are Just Getting to Know You": The Relationship in Research With Children and Youth in Indigenous Communities

Abstract- This article describes important elements in the process of engaging with tribal communities in research with children and youth and their families. In particular, it emphasizes the need to understand the research relationship with tribal communities through the lens of kinship relations. Such an approach requires a reexamination of the nature of research and the researcher, with important implications for the research processes, including design and organization, project timelines, recovery from errors, and dissemination of results. This approach also calls for a reexamination of certain canons of research methods and research ethics, along with a willingness to address new challenges, to share control of the research process, and to be open to new conceptual perspectives, including alternative research strategies. Its repercussions hold promise for a deepening of the research relationship with, and the role of researcher in, the community.