We identify our process with alternative research methods such as participatory research, community-engaged research, arts-based research, decolonizing research, all of which challenge conventional notions of research as individual, objective, neutral and product-oriented. We have found many convergences between these more radical and collaborative approaches and the growing articulation of Indigenous research methods by Indigenous researchers.
While we were familiar with the 4 Rs of Indigenous education, Jean-Paul Restoule recently expanded them identifying 6 Rs of Indigenous research.
Relationship is the over-arching R, congruent with our framing of the Legacies exchange as one of ‘pollinating relationships.’ All other values fall within this primary principle:
Respect: This implies humility, respect for differences, and a commitment to building egalitarian relationships. Our research and production team had to learn about the different ecological and cultural contexts of our partners, and we visited their homes and communities many times over five years. There were specific differences among partners that we had to respect. For example, we learned not to visit Dianne’s farm on a day that she was harvesting for the market, because she would be too busy to talk and would be distracted by filming on that day.
Sometimes we had to learn what respect meant in a particular context by making mistakes that were offensive. During our first gathering at an Ontario cottage, the classic flagpole bearing a Canadian flag was seen as an uncritical honouring of the colonial state, reflecting a lack of respect for the Indigenous territory on which we were meeting. But it sparked an important conversation about colonization and decolonization.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, we learned about cultural practices through unknowingly offending Indigenous beliefs: While we had been invited to film Valiana and Angel cooking typical Yucatan dishes, when we set up the camera outside the kitchen at the dining table, Angel informed us that for Mayans, eating is considered sacred and so should not be filmed. These uncomfortable moments were important in opening up honest conversation and helping to develop a relationship of trust over time.