Paper short abstract:

By embracing Indigenous “relational methodologies” that speak to Indigenous understandings of enduring associations between the past, present and future we can foreground critical and actionable processes that help researchers better engage and understand Indigenous knowledge systems.

Paper long abstract:

The ways in which Indigenous communicate and relate to the overall world are Ancient and intergenerational. Since time immemorial Indigenous communities have interacted with their environments and surroundings in intricate and powerful ways. However, as anthropologists how can we not only continue to cultivate our knowledge to be responsive and respectful to such interactions, but provide real-time commitment to ongoing decolonization and Indigenization of anthropological theory, method and practice? How can we underpin Indigenous ontologies and experience-based realities that help move beyond standard and essentialized notions of what is important or significant to communities? By embracing “relational methodologies” that speak to Indigenous understandings of enduring associations between the past, present and future we can foreground critical and actionable processes that help researchers better engage and understand Indigenous knowledge systems.