All guides: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives: Research

RMIT research engagement initiatives

RMIT University has committed to several initiatives to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research and researchers. These include:

Ngarara Willim Centre
Dedicated individualised student support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HDR researchers.
Office of Indigenous Education, Research and Engagement
Oversight of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activities University-wide and represents RMIT externally in Indigenous matters.
Scholarships for research degrees
Includes RTP Indigenous HDR Scholarships (RIHS)
Research with Indigenous Peoples & Knowledges (Workday, login required)
Created by Vice Chancellor's Indigenous Postdoctoral Research Fellow Eugenia Flynn this course provides an introduction to theory, background and approaches to research with Indigenous Peoples and knowledges. It is aimed specifically at Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) candidates and supervisors intending to, or already engaging in, research and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities and/or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, such as Indigenous knowledges, languages, cultural heritage material, stories and perspectives.
Vice-Chancellor's Indigenous Doctoral Fellowship Scheme
Open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander higher degree research candidates.

Meet our Fellows (1:57 mins) by RMIT University (YouTube)

Indigenous knowledge, methodologies and methods

Methodologies and methods

Let’s celebrate and share the sophistication, richness, and leadership of Australia’s First Peoples within the scientific domain.
Janke, T. (2021). True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and Culture. University of New South Wales Press

While academic research in the past has drawn heavily on Western research methodologies and methods, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture brings unique perspectives to knowledge production and the process of conducting research. The National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN) outline the essential characteristics of several Indigenous methodologies which include research frameworks such as - Indigenous Standpoint Theory, Kaupapa Maori, Indigenous Heuristic Action Research and Indigenous Women's Standpoint Theory, just to name a few (NIRAKN, 2023).

Alongside these methodologies, there are Indigenous methods of conducting research, such as Sharing circles, Ganma, Dadirri, Pathway and others (NIRAKN, 2023; Drawson, A.S., Toombs, E., & Mushquash, C. J. 2017).

The video Indigenous research methodologies and Country/Place - Community of Practice, a presentation hosted by Sydney Policy Lab, discusses several concepts relating to Indigenous research methodologies.

Indigenous research methodologies and Country/Place - Community of Practice (1hr 41 mins) by Sydney Policy Lab (YouTube)

References

Drawson, A.S., Toombs, E., & Mushquash, C. J. (2017). Indigenous research methods: A systematic review. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2017.8.2.5
NIRAKN (National Indigenous Research and Knowledge Network). (2023) Research methodologies and methods. https://www.nirakn.edu.au/dashboard/research-methodologies-and-methods/

Library resources

Book cover attribution

"Community-Led Research: Walking New Pathways Together" by Rawlings, V., Flexner, J. L., & Riley, L. (Eds.), Sydney University Press is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Smith, L. T. (2021). Decolonizing methodologies: research and Indigenous peoples (3rd ed.). Zed.
Janke, T. (2022). True tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture. NewSouth Publishing. Cover design Debra Billson. All rights reserved. Cover artwork Terri – Butterfly Flowers Dreaming, 2020, by Bibi Barba. © Bibi Barba/Copyright Agency, 2021.

from NIRAKN

Research methods and methodologies
National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN)

Getting started

Do you know what country you live and work on? Visit AIATSIS to explore a Map of Indigenous Australia representing language groups across the continent. An understanding of your local context is critical to good engagement with Indigenous knowledge.

Researchers from other diverse cultures need to stop conducting research ‘on’ First Nations communities and instead work ‘with’ them to gain knowledge. The following article published in The Conversation explains how researchers from other diverse cultures can best establish relationships with First Nations people when conducting research in their communities.

‘You can’t just show up and start asking questions’: why researchers need to understand the importance of yarning for First Nations
An article from The Conversation by Robyn Ober, Rhonda Oliver and Sender Dovchin posted August 23, 2022.

Guidelines

AIATSIS

The AIATSIS Act (1989) mandates the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to provide leadership in the field of ethics and protocols for research related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and collections.

Code of Ethics (AIATSIS)
The AIATSIS Code sets national standards for the ethical and responsible conduct of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research, across all disciplines and methodologies. It is for use by all undertaking, reviewing or funding research, including individuals, universities, governments, industry and community organisations.
Principles for engagement in projects concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (AIATSIS)
The guide is written for people from other diverse cultures providing foundational principles for engagement in projects concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Engaging with Traditional Owners (AIATSIS)
A guide to engaging with Traditional Owners using the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

NHMRC

Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities (NHMRC)
Guidelines for researchers and stakeholders provides a set of principles to ensure research is safe, respectful, responsible, high quality and of benefit to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
Keeping research on track II (NHMRC)
A companion guideline that provides advice on how the values and principles of Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities can be put into practice.

Australia Council for the Arts

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
This guide provides protocols to prevent the misuse of tangible and intangible First Nations cultural heritage, which are not specifically protected under Australian copyright law. The protocols create pathways for collaborations and creations of new Indigenous works.

Indigenous Evaluation Strategy

Indigenous Evaluation Strategy
The strategy provides a whole-of-government framework for Australian Government agencies to use when selecting, planning, conducting and using evaluations of policies and programs affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Lowitja Institute

Pathways into Research Toolkit
The Pathways into Research tools aim to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to pursue pathways into research and for our people, organisations and communities to engage with and lead health research.

Research data

CARE principles for Indigenous Data Governance
Indigenous data sovereignty

CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance

The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance guide appropriate use and reuse of Indigenous data. This set of principles indicates the significant and crucial role of data in advancing Indigenous innovation and self-determination.

Collective benefit

Data ecosystems should be designed and function in ways that enable Indigenous Peoples to derive benefit from the data.

Authority to control

Indigenous Peoples' rights and interests in Indigenous data must be recognised and their authority to control such data should be empowered. Indigenous data governance enables Indigenous Peoples to determine how they are represented within data.

Responsibility

Those working with Indigenous data have a responsibility to share how this data is used to support Indigenous Peoples' self-determination and collective benefit.

Ethics

Indigenous Peoples' rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at all stages of the data life cycle.

CARE Principles
More information from the Research Data Alliance International Indigenous Data Sovereignty Interest Group.

Indigenous data sovereignty

Trust in scholarly communications and infrastructure: Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Ruckstuhl, K 2022, 'Trust in scholarly communications and infrastructure: Indigenous Data Sovereignty', Frontiers in research metrics and analysis, vol. 6: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frma.2021.752336/full
more...less...
Many Indigenous people have a deep mistrust of research, with some describing research as one of the “dirtiest” words in Indigenous language. The histories and experiences behind such mistrust are long and painful. Given what has been perceived as Indigenous objectification at the hands of largely Anglo-European others for research from which they fail to benefit, many communities now refuse research unless it is undertaken under certain, Indigenous-defined circumstances. Such refusal is a move away from others’ purposes and a move towards autonomy and self-determination. For some, this is a statement of sovereignty and it applies to all areas of endeavour, including the new frontiers of research and the structures that support them, such as datification of knowledge. This article examines data sovereignty from the perspective of Indigenous peoples. While data sovereignty has become a ubiquitous concern, Indigenous data sovereignty arises from contexts specific to Indigenous peoples. The focus of the above article is to provide a brief overview of recent data sovereignty developments, along with the context that lies behind these activities.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Readiness Assessment and Evaluation Toolkit
This toolkit was designed by the Lowitja Institute, Australia's national institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and is designed to evaluate the use of Indigenous Data Sovereignty practices (ID-SOV) in research and academic environments. It's goal is to improve individual capabilities and takes a whole-of-organisation approach to embedding ID-SOV practices.

Teaching and Research guides

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives