Pages 410-413 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
Aboriginal Education, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada
Source
Pages 410-413 in S. Chatwood, P. Orr and Tiina Ikaheimo, eds. Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Canada, July 11-16, 2009. Securing the IPY Legacy: from Research to Action. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2010; 69 (Suppl 7).
This study was conceptualized from a partnership between Aboriginal communities in Labrador, Canada, and the researcher as a result of the Community Health Research in Labrador project, Listening, Learning, and Working Together (2006), where research ethics and the governance of research involving Aboriginal peoples in Labrador were identified as research priorities. Based on this priority and the premise that Aboriginal peoples have endured a history of exploitation through research, leaving people and communities vulnerable, this research examines the current state of ethical governance of health research with Aboriginal peoples in Labrador. Interviews with key informants have shown that a history of perceived exploitation in research, a shortage of human resource and financial capacity, and past and present relationships with governments, influence the ways in which ethics and research are understood at the community level. Labrador criticisms of research are congruent with the literature in that they reflect the need for an Aboriginal-centric research ethics, and include the historical political context of assimilation and the historical research context of exploitation and exoticism. In research with Aboriginal peoples, the precursor to ethical research is an authentic relationship, that is, a relationship built from an undisputed origin (through research agreements or memorandums of understanding) that is genuine in nature and in which the partners are trustworthy and reliable.