ABSTRACT
The history of conducting Western scientific research on Indigenous communities has destroyed relationships between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous academics. Using personal research experience involving searches for unmarked graves at the Brandon Indian Residential School as a case example, this chapter explores the complicated and largely unspoken process of how to begin the conversations that create the opportunities to do meaningful research with a Dakota community. From this relational starting point, this chapter details the importance of ongoing consultation and collaborative research design grounded in the community’s interests, needs, objectives and concerns. In this way, we can begin the process of creating a strong relationship with an Indigenous community, capable of fostering respectful research and building alliances.
