ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the necessity of developing and utilizing an Indigenist research paradigm to create an Indigenous vision for the future. If Indigenous social services are to progress beyond their constant reactionary crisis mode of functioning, Indigenist research is needed to shift the focus away from how communities want not to be and instead create a vision for how communities and families want to be. Armed with this vision, Indigenist research might guide social work education and practice towards this desired future. Indigenist research works from a worldview that understands knowledge is relational: Indigenous People are not in relationships; they are relationships. This is Indigenous truth and reality. Implementing this philosophy or research paradigm requires Indigenist researchers to build theoretical frameworks and research methods congruent with Indigenous belief systems. Indigenist research views knowledge production through the lens of researchers being accountable to and for maintaining healthy relationships. In other words, data is formed through the building of relationships via the research process, and relational accountability is required to analyse and interpret this research data and turn it into Indigenous knowledge. Action based upon this knowledge may then lead to the gaining of wisdom. Only when wisdom flows from Indigenist knowledge-building processes can it meaningfully create the vision to guide social policy and service provision, thus completing the cycle of building social work interventions that are truly accountable to Indigenous communities.
