Indigenous Worldviews, Knowledge, and Research: The Development of an Indigenous Research Paradigm

This article presents the initial development of one Indigenous research paradigm. The article begins with an overview of worldviews and Indigenous knowledge before addressing how these perspectives have been blinded by Eurocentric thought and practices. These sections set the background for the focus of the article, namely the development of an Indigenous research paradigm. This paradigm is based upon the framework shared by Wilson (2001), who suggested that a research paradigm consists of an ontology, epistemology, methodology, and axiology. By presenting Indigenous perspectives on each of the framework components, an Indigenous research paradigm that was used for research with Indigenous Elders and Indigenous social workers who are based within Indigenous worldviews and ways of being is presented. Things are changing in the realm of research. While at one time, we, as Indigenous peoples, were faced with leaving our indigeniety at the door when we entered the academic world, several of us are now actively working to ensure our research is not only respectful, or “culturally sensitive, ” but is also based in approaches and processes