Ethics and Respect
I would like to explain some of the ways that I am held accountable for my work as a student and a researcher. As I go through the processes of obtaining permission to do this research, I will update this page. Please also see the section called Respectful Relations for more on accountability and responsibility of my research.
Ethics According to the Îethka Custom
I have done something called a "pilot study" to learn more about what research that is ethical from Îethka perspectives might look like. A pilot study is a small research project that helps collect information for a larger study. I think that there is a lot to learn about what Îethka ethical practice looks like, it could be it's own large study, but my main focus is on museums. I hope that this pilot project will help me to learn enough to make sure that the museum research can be done in a way that is respectful.
I think I already learned a few things about respectful and ethical practice in Îethka communities. In the pilot study worked with Elders and other knowledge keepers to check if what I have learned is correct or not. Here's some things I think I know, but I will update this page as I learn more.
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Îethka "data" is owned by both individuals and the community. As I collect information, I will need to be respectful of people's privacy and personal knowledge, but also respectful that knowledge may be communally owned. Just because one person tells me something doesn't mean I have a right to use or keep that knowledge.
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Part of showing respect for communal knowledge means engaging the correct people. Elders have authority to determine who in the community is the best person or people to talk about certain things. If I try to figure it out on my own, I will make mistakes.
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There are specific protocols to follow to show respect. This includes offering tobacco, money, and gifts as well as engaging in respectful communication. Fulfilling protocol honors the importance of the knowledge that is shared, and the work that the person has gone through to learn it.
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Respect is relational, I can help show respect for the community by engaging people who are interested in the research, and giving freely of my time, and any expertise I have, while also understanding that I am in the community not as an expert, but as a humble student.
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This research should perhaps be witnessed and assisted by youth who may want to take up similar work, or who are interested in issues related to museums, material culture, and heritage.
Ethics According to the University of Calgary
Universities have specific rules about how to conduct research and work in a way that is "ethical." These rules usually have specific processes attached. The purpose of these rules is 1) to make sure that research is done in a way that does not cause harm to the people who are participating 2) to make sure that the university has carefully checked all research being done in its name, so that no harm should come to the university as a result of research. Universities also expect students to carry themselves in a respectful way, over and above the rules, and if students do not do this there are serious consequences for them.
At the University of Calgary, I had to apply to a Research Ethics Board before I started any actual research. This board is made up of professors, and non-academic people who have special knowledge or skills. My application has to explain what I am going to do, why I am going to do it, and how I have minimized any harms that could come to anyone who participates in the work I do. I have to show that I've thought carefully about the ways people could be harmed, and about the ways to inform people who participate about the research and any risks.
The University assigned me two supervisors who oversee my work to make sure it's done appropriately. These two professors are Dr. Sabrina Perić and Dr. Gina Starblanket.
I will not be granted approval unless I have taken a course called TCPS2 CORE. This class helps researchers understand the history of problems that research has caused for community members, and how to avoid those types of problems. (Done in spring 2020)
This project will have two ethics applications, one for the pilot project (which will help me to make sure I do research in a way that is respectful to Îethka traditions), and one for the main study. (pilot project ethics approved in spring 2020, full study approved in spring 2023)
People who have concerns with my research are welcome to contact me, or my supervisors, or the Research Ethics Board at 403.220.6289 or 403.220.8640; email cfreb@ucalgary.ca You will need this study ID to help them understand which research project you have concerns with: REB19-2072
You can read the approval letter for the pilot study here. The approval letter for the full study is here.
Researcher discolusre
You should know what I stand to gain from this research. If I complete this research (no matter what the findings are) it is part of the process of getting a PhD. Other parts include classes I have to take, and tests. A PhD could (but may not) help me to get a good job, and impacts how I am seen and treated in the world (it adds to my privilege).
In 2021 I was awarded a Vanier Scholarship to do this research. This means, for the following three years I will earn $50,000 per year. In order to get this funding I have to be in good standing as a student (pay my fees every quarter, and meet the expectations of my professors and department). This works out to about $25 dollars an hour for 40 hours per week (which is about the time I spend doing school). I am not allowed to work while holding this scholarship (except minimal part time work, which I do at Beiseker Station Museum).
I will not earn money as a direct result of completing this research. Some researchers convert their studies into books, and make money that way. Writing books from academic work doesn't usually pay very well. I would not consider turning this work into something like a book unless Îethka people suggested it.
I am doing this research because I think it will be of service to the community. If it becomes obvious that it's not helping the community, or worse, that it harms the community, I would have to stop the research. Îethka people matter to me, and the future of the community matters to me too. I would not do this work if I thought it would harm individual people or the community at large.
Other Ethical Considerations
The professors that supervise my work asked me to take a class called OCAP from the First Nations Information Governance Centre. They felt this would help this research to be respectful to Îethka people.
OCAP stands for Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession. These four terms are intended to influence the spirit in which a researcher undertakes study. Ownership means that First Nations people should retain ownership of the data that they provide to the researcher, as well as the outputs of the research. Control means that First Nations people should be able to control how they participate in research, what happens to data, and what happens to the completed research. Access means that First Nations people should be able to determine and define how their data is accessed, and what happens to that data after the study ends. Possession means that First Nations people should be supported to physically possess any data generated by their communities, should they wish to, so it can be used for their own benefit.
OCAP is not just about data that comes from surveys, it's about all different types of knowledge, as well as data like biological samples.
When a researcher agrees to follow OCAP principles, they are saying that they understand that First Nations people are the best people to govern their own information.
OCAP principles are intended to support the community that the data is generated from. It suggests that, no matter who collects the data, if it's about First Nations people, those people need to have a stake in what happens to the data, how it is analyzed, and how it's reported on and shared.
OCAP principles suggest that collaboration with First Nations communities will make research stronger because who knows a community better than its own people? That means that the community members need to be involved in every step of the research project, from designing the research question, all the way to presenting the findings.
OCAP reminds researchers that in addition to the risk that all research could have for individuals, in First Nations communities there could also be communal risks. Non-Indigenous communities tend to think of sharing data as an individual decision. This might be different for First Nations people.