What the Grandfathers Taught Me: Lessons for an Indian Country Researcher

Authors

Stephanie Masta, Purdue UniversityFollow

Abstract

Native scholars face several challenges when they enter research spaces. These challenges include difficulty in engaging with the broader research community because of the social and educational urgency of tribal-focused research, discouragement from using Indigenous methodologies because they are not “widely recognized,” and resisting positivist and postpositivist methodologies that marginalize Native populations. Using an autoethnographic approach, I make meaning of how the Seven Grandfathers lessons from my childhood inform my research practice. I also discuss how these lessons give me the tools to address the challenges I experience as a Native scholar and provide a holistic approach to the process of decolonizing research.

Keywords

Indigenous Research, Autoethnography, Native American Education

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Stephanie Masta is an assistant professor at Purdue University. Her research interests center on Native American education, Indigenous research methodologies, and critical qualitative methodologies. She is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: szywicki@purdue.edu.

Publication Date

4-16-2018

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3254

Recommended APA Citation

Masta, S. (2018). What the Grandfathers Taught Me: Lessons for an Indian Country Researcher. The Qualitative Report, 23(4), 841-852. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3254