Foreword and Conclusion#

Collection note: This is a navigation copy assembled from an existing local Markdown extract; it does not claim to be a complete or authoritative edition.
Coverage: Available local extract: front matter through printed page 13.
Provenance: RCH-Wilson-ElementsOfResearchParadigm-001-260111213125-ab2ff9a0-fec7-451e-9fc4-3e6752370ad8.SOURCE.md

in logic, to follow the same patterns of communication and to have similar terms of reference. The reader must be able to comprehend the writer’s beliefs in order to see what the writer sees. When this is not happening, miscommunication is inevitable.

So in addition to explaining the aim of the book, this foreword explains a bit about how my logic works, the pattern my cultural style of communication follows, some of the terms of reference I use and my role in this process. As Terry Tafoya (1995) said, when speaking with people from another culture it often takes longer to explain the context, background or meaning of a story than it does to actually tell the story. On the other hand, when communicating with people who share the same culture, too much explanation or background detailing could be seen as disrespectful of the intelligence of the listener. Since I have no way of knowing if the reader is from the same culture as me, I hope I will be excused if I am being insensitive in this foreword. I come to you with a good heart.

This book describes one view of an Indigenous research paradigm, in the process answering the following questions:

• What are the shared aspects of the ontology, epistemology, axiology and methodology of research conducted by Indigenous scholars in Australia and Canada?
• How can these aspects of an Indigenous research paradigm be put into practice to support other Indigenous people in their own research?

I put forward in the book that: 1. the shared aspect of an Indigenous ontology and epistemology is relationality (relationships do not merely shape reality, they are reality). The shared aspect of an Indigenous axiology and methodology is accountability to relationships. 2. The shared aspects of relationality and relational accountability can be put into practice through choice of research topic, methods of data collection, form of analysis and presentation of information.

While this paradigm has developed from working with Indigenous scholars in Canada and Australia, it is by no means intended to be exclusive to these groups. Indigenous scholars from other countries and homelands (especially some phenomenal Native Hawaiians) have read this manuscript and taken part in discussions of our paradigms, as have many non-Indigenous academics, and have confirmed that their own worldviews are compatible. So I must apologize for leaving out any groups of peoples with my research questions. These were merely intended to provide some boundaries for the sake of my own research, not to limit the use of this paradigm. It is my hope that my continuing journey of learning in this area will allow me to incorporate the words of many more Indigenous scholars from around the world into this paradigm.

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