INDG U1 Notes

• What is the definition of Method in Indigenous Studies?

  The method provides the tools.
• What research methods does Indigenous research use?

  Surveys, archives, focus groups, and interviews.
• What makes Indigenous research methods distinct?

  The methods are distinct, not because of the methods themself, but because of the theories that guide them.
• What is the definition of Methodology? And what does it do?


  Methodology is the approach or strategy guiding the use of methods.

  It frames questions and shapes, analyses, and determines instruments.
• What are 3 methodologies that showcase the difference between Western and Indigenous outlooks?

  1. Quantitative Research: Privileges Indigenous voices by taking a strength-based approach to statistical data.
  2. Qualitative Research: Privileges Indigenous voices, resistance, and political integrity.
  3. Insurgent Research Methodology: Grounded in Indigenous worldviews, action-oriented, and provides the community with final authority.
• Research using Indigenous methodology = Western research traditions + Indigenous epistemologies, axiology, and ontology.
• What is Epistemology?


  Epistemology is the study of knowledge.

  It is knowing and understanding the world around you.

  Involves using investigation to differentiate opinion from justified belief.
• What does Indigenous Epistemology say about knowledges?

  Indigenous knowledges are developed within the cultural and social frameworks and are a creation meant to be shared with the community.

  It is believed that knowledge is not something to be owned or discovered. Instead, knowledge is a set of relationships that can be given a visible form.
• Why is the full adoption of Indigenous Epistemology cautioned against?

  Because of Indigenous Epistemology's inability to capture pre-contact Indigenous Epistemology.
• What is Ontology?


  Ontology is the fundamental belief about our existence and reality.

  It is understood by considering the community's connection to the cosmos, environment, and language.
• What is the relationship between Epistemology and Indigenous Methodology?


  Scholars believe that epistemology underpins Indigenous Methodology, creating a pattern from research.
• How does Epistemology relate to Indigenous Peoples?

  Cook-Lyn believed that Indigenous Studies should use Indigenous Epistemologies to protect Indigenous Languages and Social Systems.

  It's about giving Indigenous communities the power to preserve and share their own knowledge and perspectives.
• How can the Ontological framework be seen in Indigenous Studies practices?

  Ways of being are celebrated in the Anishinaabeg tradition.
• What does it mean by there being multiple realities in Ontology?

  When studying Indigenous topics, researchers should understand that different Indigenous communities may have their own unique perspectives and interpretations of reality.

  What one community believes to be true could be different from what another community believes.

  This difference comes from the different cultures and understanding of the world.
• How does Language relate to Ontology and Indigenous Epistemologies?

  Language reflects the fundamental beliefs and understanding of reality held by Indigenous peoples.

  Due to this, it is believed that Indigenous worldviews are embedded within the language itself.

  Because language is so closely connected to Indigenous worldviews, understanding the language can provide insight into Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding the world (Indigenous Epistemologies).
• What is Axiology?


  Axiology is a set of ethics and morals that guides the process of research while encompassing relational accountability in Indigenous Studies Methodology.

  i.e., the researcher takes accountability for the people involved in the research and ensures that the research respects their values and perspectives.

  Indigenous studies deal with real people who could face real consequences because of what is written, which is why the research must be carried out ethically.
• What are the basic definitions of Epistemology, Ontology, and Axiology from an Indigenous Studies Perspective?

  Epistemology: Knowing the world around you.

  Ontology: Knowing your place in the world and your connection to it.

  Axiology: A set of ethics and morals that guides the process of research.
• What are the 5 R's of Indigenous Research? What is the additional R?

  1. Relationship
  2. Respect
  3. Relevance
  4. Reciprocity
  5. Responsibility
  6. Additional R is Refusal.
• What is the definition of Indigenous?

  It is the umbrella term used in Canada to refer to:

  1. First Nations
  2. Métis
  3. Inuit

  Internationally, it is a term that also refers to individuals who inhabited or existed on their land since time immemorial.
• What is the definition of First Nations?


  The term refers to an Indigenous person distinct from Métis or Inuit.

  The term refers to those who are legally considered “Indians” in the Constitution Act 1982, s.35.
• What is the definition of Metis?


  The term refers to an Indigenous person who:

  1. self-identifies as Métis
  2. is of the historic Métis Nation Ancestry
  3. is accepted by the Métis nation
  4. is distinct from other Aboriginal People (First Nations and Inuit)
• What is the definition of Inuit/Inuk?


  The term refers to an Indigenous person whose roots stem from Inuit Nunangat, also known as the Canadian Arctic.

  Inuit translates to people (can refer to more than 1 person).

  One would not write Inuit Peoples as it translates to People Peoples. Under no circumstances would you use the derogatory term Eskimo to refer to the Inuit.
• What is the definition of Aboriginal?


  The Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 uses the term to describe the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, whose rights are recognized and affirmed within the document.

  Although used in a legal context, it is still a term to be avoided.
• What is the definition of Native American?


  The term refers to an Indigenous person whose roots stem from the United States of America and cannot be used to refer to Indigenous Peoples in what is now known as Canada.
• What are the regions in the Manitoba Metis Federation?

  1. Thompson Region
  2. Winnipeg Region
  3. The Pas Region
  4. Southwest Region
  5. Southeast Region
  6. Northwest Region
  7. Interlake Region
• What were the different treaties signed in Manitoba?

  1. Treaty 1 (1871)
  2. Treaty 2 (1871)
  3. Treaty 3 (1873)
  4. Treaty 4 (1874)
  5. Treaty 5 (1875)
  6. Adhesion to Treaty 5
• Why was there a change in terminology from “Inuit Nunaat” to “Inuit Nunangat”?

  “Inuit Nunaat” is a Greenlandic term that describes land but does not include water or ice.

  The term “Inuit Nunangat” is a Canadian Inuktitut term that includes land, water, and ice.

  Canadian Inuit consider the land, water, and ice of their homeland to be integral to their culture and way of life

  It was felt that “Inuit Nunangat” was a more inclusive and appropriate term to use when describing their lands.