Beadworking as an Indigenous Research Paradigm

Abstract

In this article, I outline three principles that form the conceptual basis of an emerging Indigenous research paradigm that I call beadworking. I then relate how beadworking informs my understanding of and engagement with an Indigenous research methodology. Beadworking addresses how Indigenous Peoples’ creation of beadwork can be used to help Indigenous researchers navigate the research process, while being grounded from within an Indigenous worldview. It is my hope that in sharing my research paradigm, it will inspire other Indigenous researchers to define and articulate their own research paradigms through the unique positionality of their own Indigenous People.

Keywords

• beadwork
• Indigenous quantitative research
• Indigenous mixed method research
• Indigenous qualitative research
• Indigenous paradigm
• Blackfoot