ABSTRACT
Indigenous Australia is made up of two ethnically and culturally distinct Indigenous Peoples who have shared extreme struggles: Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. The Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, located between Papua New Guinea and the tip of Cape York in Queensland. One of the most common misconceptions of Western-based researchers is their belief that they have the necessary skills and tools to research Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their communities. Historically, Australian Indigenous people have been told what is best for them and have been forced to be participants in foreign processes that far remove them from their cultural practices, values, and beliefs. Cultural approval requires that the researcher provides information from the research in a clear and articulate manner to the participants to enable forward planning.
