Indigenous World View
In previous decades research has been performed
into Indigenous issues and upon Aboriginal peoples and Torres
Strait Islanders, but frequently without their knowledge or consent,
sometimes without their involvement, and often without recourse
to the frame of reference of the beliefs or social customs that
underpin the values of Indigenous peoples. The research has often
been driven by aims that were based on eurocentric values or driven
by commercial interests. This has resulted in questionable outcomes
that have impacted adversely on Indigenous peoples.
The pre-eminent need of the Indigenous research
agenda is for research that is conducted according to the concept
Indigenous World View. This will usually be from Australian Indigenous
perspectives, but on occasions of research with an international
focus, the world view has to be that of the Indigenous community
in the country and community in question.
The Indigenous world view places Indigenous peoples
at the centre of the research environment and is cognisant of
Indigenous values, beliefs, paradigms, social practices, ethical
protocols and pedagogies. The IWV identifies both Indigenous and
non-Indigenous research voices and perspectives, but these will
be filtered and framed by Indigenous world view. The knowledge
framework will be one that is holistic and integrated and this
will further inform the view of research and research training
and its impact on peoples and cultures.
Umulliko recently conducted 'yarns' on 'research'
with over 68 Indigenous peoples in geographically different locations
within 2 States. This research emerged from the Inaugural Indigenous
Researchers Forum and was funded by the Australian Research Council,
Indigenous Researchers Development Scheme. People clearly articulated
their disdain for research and researchers with few tangible outcomes
emerging from research. Some of the comments are shared here and
are food for thought for the upcoming Forum:
"Every time research
is done a piece of my culture is … erased"
"If we went to their house to do research would they welcome
us?"
Feedback
"People come and we never see them again."
"How do we know what happens to the information?"
"I did this research and didn't know our names were going
to be referenced and used in the book. I felt used."
"We get no feedback; 6 months is a long time for an Aboriginal
person, 12 months is forever, information is out of date and
people have moved on …" |
Outcomes
"Research is about solving black problems for white people…
there are little outcomes for Aboriginal people."
"What goes wrong with research? We have had the Royal
Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and many others
which have asked us lots of questions, lots about us but what
has happened as a result?"
"How do you connect research to the end product? |
Interpretation
"They change our words and interpret any way they want
to"
"We are artificially gagged." |
Researched
to Death
"How many times can you research the same stuff?"
"Researchers only want to come in, get what they want,
and run." |
Research Agenda?
"Who pays for the research? What is their agenda".
'People come in with an Agenda and don't make their position
clear. They use local Aboriginal people to connect. Local
people get held to ransom when nothing happens and nothing
comes back. It damages their connections, their trust with
family and other mob. The researchers walk off with nothing
to care about, they move on … and the researchers get
their ticket. Their agenda is met. They leave behind a damaged
community." |
"Research is perhaps not
a tool of genocide but it failed to report accurately the erosion
of Aboriginal community and leadership"
Initial reactions
to the word 'research':
'When I hear the word research my solar plexus contracts,
that's my immediate physiological response.'
'They want something from me,… what do I have to give
up, … part of me feels my soul is being given away, …
it is my experience … it is like an emotional photograph
…'
'I have sad feelings about the people doing the research …,
they have good intentions but don't realise the repercussions.
These are people [the researched], they are human beings,
… people have rights.'
'Look, I am comfortable being researched as long as I know
… it will make a change, make a difference.'
'…invasion of my privacy … This is my space, these
are my thoughts, leave me alone.'
'… research is done in isolation from us … and about
us'
'researchers use the research and fit
it in to the box that they already have … justification,
… they already have their own agenda, … the good
bits get left out, they don't look at the whole picture, …
they have their question and they do the research to justify
it.' |
Questions:
'I was just angry with the question, to, … think about
the answer?' |
Researchers Time-frame:
'Sometimes people just want to get on with your lives, …
research happens when researchers want it to happen, not when
people may be ready …' |
Reflections:
…'No, we lived life, we looked after our mother, our
mother looked after us, we only took what we needed, with
research they take more than they need.'
"I still get sad that a lot of
whitefellas hold on to blackfellas things [our ideas, experiences,
knowledge] instead of letting go gracefully " |
"If you want to make something dead .....
research it"
|
