Source: Research As Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods by Shawn Wilson, Cree

Four Components of Research Paradigms

Paradigms are thus broad principles that provide a framework for research. The sets of beliefs that make up research paradigms are the interrelated concepts of ontology, epistemology, methodology and axiology.

Ontology - The theory of the nature of existence, or the nature of reality.

Epistemology - The study of the nature of thinking or knowing.

Methodology - The theory of how knowledge is gained, or in other words the science of finding things out.

Axiology - The ethics or morals that guide the search for knowledge and judge which information is worthy of searching for.

Indigenous Research Paradigm

		Indigenous	Dominant
Based on relationality	Ontology	Knowledge is seen as belonging to the cosmos where researchers are only the interpreters	Knowledge is seen as being individual in nature
	Ontology	Knowledge is harmonious	Hierarchy, competition, find fault in research of others
	Epistemology	Emphasis on relationships (verbs)	Emphasis on individuals/objects (nouns)
	Epistemology	Integration of science with spirituality and art	Separation of science from spirituality and art
	Epistemology	Subjective, including emotion, feeling	Objective, excluding emotion, feeling
	Epistemology	Looking at the total person	Looking at individual components (ie gender, sexuality, age, language, spirituality)
Maintaining relational accountability	Methodology	Participatory action, learn by watching and doing as a participant, improve the reality of the people you are working with, sensemaking	No participation with subjects as a researcher, outside observation only, though critical theory and constructivism are more participatory methodologies
	Methodology	Talking circle	Focus group
	Methodology	Participants feel the thrill of the research/knowledge emerging, let participants provide conclusions	Researcher present conclusions to participants at the end
	Methodology	Cyclical writing, returning to ideas with emergent levels of understanding	Linear writing
	Axiology	Research participant/subject names are included	Research participant/subject names are withheld
	Axiology	Content and context by which content is created must be communicated	Content and context are communicated as separate components
	Axiology	Research is owned by no one, as ideas belong to the cosmos, to all of the relations that it has formed.	Research is owned by researcher. The idea belongs to the individual who discovers something, happens to be the first to write about it.
	Axiology	Research comes together with participants as at a ceremony	Research comes together based on collective of non-participatory methodologies

Indigenous Paradigm Axiology Questions

How do my methods help to build respectful relationships between the topic that I am studying and myself as researcher (on multiple levels)?
How do my methods help to build respectful relationships between myself and the other research participants?
How can I relate respectfully to the other participants involved in this research so that together we can form a stronger relationship with the idea that we will share?
What is my role as researcher in this relationship, and what are my responsibilities?
Am I being responsible in fulfilling my role and obligations to the other participants, to the topic and to all of my relations?
What am I contributing or giving back to the relationship? Is the sharing, growth and learning that is taking place reciprocal?

Judy Atkinson’s Indigenous Research Principles

Comparing Dominant Research Paradigms