Recent disclosures from Harvard’s Peabody Museum have brought to light the need for a rethinking of the relationship between universities and Indigenous communities.

The Peabody Museum recently announced that it had been holding hair from over 700 Indigenous children who were forced to attend residential boarding schools in the U.S.

The museum apologized and promised to return the hair clips to Indigenous communities. They acknowledge in writing that the clippings were taken in an era when it was standard practice in anthropology for hair samples to ” justify racist hierarchies and categories.”

You might be surprised to find out that many people have had bad experiences with university-based research if they grew up in communities other than Indigenous, Black, or disabled communities. Linda Tuhiwai Smith, a Maori scholar, observed nearly 25 years ago that research was ” possibly one of the dirtiest terms in the Indigenous world’s language.”

Many of the studies that did the most damage to Indigenous communities were used to justify genocide or land dispossession. These were not research as we understand it today. They were white supremacist propaganda. They are the legacy of many modern fields of social and science science.

These studies included torture on Indigenous peoples, as well as people from Black countries, in concentration camps, and those living in poverty under the auspices science. These were the kinds of studies that prompted the establishment of institutional ethics review board in universities and communities.

Legacy of dangerous research

Some studies were coercive and did not allow Indigenous communities to withdraw or refuse. Some others were conducted under duress. Some are deceptive. These studies claim to be about one thing but in reality they are about another .

There are many other studies that use. Many other studies are extractive. Researchers may appear for a short time and then disappear. They over-promise and can’t generate the change that Indigenous communities want. They are time-wasters. They learn something the community knew but no one seems to be listening.

This history and current situation have led to many people growing up in Indigenous families being critical of researchers that don’t see the real value or true stakes of research for Indigenous communities.

Learn from Indigenous methods of knowing

Since the beginning of time Indigenous communities have engaged in research activities . Even though these approaches to research were dismissed as not systematic or objective . Indigenous Peoples are always researchers. Many Indigenous worldviews, knowledge systems, and values are based on inquiry, curiosity, and sharing the results through storytelling.

Researchers working within and outside the university have been using a different approach to Indigenous communities research for over two decades. This approach, which I and others call Collaborative Indigenous Research is an intentional challenge to the negative ways university-based researchers engage with Indigenous communities.

This is based on the belief that Indigenous communities have a long history and a longer future. This approach starts with the assumption that Indigenous people are knowledgeable about their daily lives and the institutions, policies and laws that impact them. These people’s knowledge reveals the obstacles to their dreams and hopes. Collaborative Indigenous research examines how Indigenous communities can effect change in policy, practice, relationships, and lands.

This research honors Indigenous knowledges not as something from history, but rather as something that can be enlivened by our collaboration. This research focuses on the empowerment and self-determination in Indigenous communities. It is often done in collaboration with Black communities or communities who have suffered colonial violence.

Collaborative Indigenous research

The lack of support for Indigenous scholars, who could otherwise be able mentor newcomers to the field, is one of the obstacles that have prevented people from learning Collaborative Indigenous Research. Like many Indigenous ways of knowing, this practice can only be learned through doing and by someone who is committed to the future. The same negative aspects that make Indigenous people skeptical of university-based research also play a role in the decision to stay out of universities.

The Collaborative Indigenous Research, (CIR), Digital Garden can be used to remove that barrier by providing a space for learning and sharing across the internet, in order to increase inspiration and expertise.

I’m often asked by Indigenous scholars how we can conduct research with Indigenous Peoples in an ethical manner. This five-year-old project is the answer. CIR Digital Garden, a new online platform that allows users to search, read, and post short profiles about their studies.

Every profile contains key information about a particular study. This includes location, communities and research questions. To make it easier to search the site and browse, profiles use tags and categories. Think Pokemon cards but for Indigenous research.

The profiles include theories of change, which are the ideas and opinions of the collaborators about how we can achieve social change. They also describe what constitutes evidence for each study. This is unlike other research databases. The CIR Digital Garden doesn’t have a paywall and is not intended for academic audiences. It is intended to demonstrate how collaborative Indigenous research can be a successful practice. The profiles will also highlight important place-based specialities.

We have preloaded almost 200 studies to give users an idea of the potential capabilities of the garden. This allows you to search for and view the profiles that we hope will one day fill the garden. These 200 studies are a small sample of the many that community-based and university researchers will add. An editorial team is available to assist contributors with creating their profiles.

This garden will be a gathering place for those with a strong desire and passion to do research differently. This garden will be a place to gather for people who are passionate about this work and want the support that isn’t available at universities. We want to foster growth and remove the negative legacies of research that has been done to Indigenous communities.

Eve Tuck Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Methodologies with Youth and Communities University of Toronto

This article was republished by The Conversation under Creative Commons. You can read the original article.