Mellon Tribal College Research Journal – Volume 2 Lori Lambert
It is key for researchers to ask questions about the stories they are given: “How do you want me to tell this story?” “Is this what you mean?” Researchers are looking for truth and knowledge, and the informant wants the story to be told that gives this truth. Finally, community members must share ideas in treatment modality options available to them. Each Indigenous group will have their own cultural concepts for treatment. Gone (in press) also indicates this and describes it as hybridization of therapies to fit the community, meaning that cultural camps be set up to heal addictions and move the community forward towards cultural pursuits (Gone, 2013). Members of the communities where the research occurred are more aware of their rights in controlling research and researchers. The members of the Australian South Sea Island community indicated a need to develop stronger protocols for their own community since they do not fall under the umbrella of Indigenous Australians. In the Sayisi Dene community, several women indicated that they need protocols developed to protect their peoples. Although protocols for the Sayisi Dene community come from The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS), members of the community did not realize their rights. More communication regarding researchers, Aboriginal Affairs Department in Ottawa, and the Sayisi Dene community must happen if the Sayisi Dene are able to control research projects in their community. The one goal, which has yet to be realized, is the improvement of mental health services to Indigenous communities. More Indigenous students need to be trained and educated in the areas of counseling, substance abuse, and social work. More researchers must learn how to research applying an Indigenous epistemology.
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