Indigenous Methodologies: Charting our Collective Journey. A Talanoa Panel

Abstract

As Indigenous peoples we have for centuries engaged in our own forms of methodological research to test theories and advance thinking. Employing our own indigenous methodologies has supported the revitalization of our own ways of being, thinking, speaking, behaving and even breathing. Indigenous methodologies allow us to reclaim what binds us and more importantly, to ask important questions of what matters most to us for example, what is our purpose, who is in our waters, what support do we need and what do we do in turbulent times. Our collective research gives us the autonomy to chart our journey from hereon in ways that are culturally appropriate and at the same time sustainable. In doing so, we give strength to our collective voice and desired future. The panellists are three indigenous women scholars and researchers who will enact the coming together of Oceanic researchers to talanoa, share and create ideas. They will share their research journey and will demonstrate how ‘coming together’ can feed the manava in order to create transforming change for all Oceanic Peoples. Their collective research and lived experiences speak to a space that seek to disrupt and interrogate western forms of research knowledge while engaging in what Taiaiake Alfred and Leanne Simpson (2016) refers to as ‘indigenous resurgence’.