You are invited to start preparing a poster or paper of your Indigenous Science Research work for presentations at the 2016 Meeting of the American Indigenous Research Association, to be held October 21-23 at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana. Note: We will accept proposal submissions beginning June 1, so the materials on this page are available to help you prepare your proposal. Don’t send in your proposal yet, but if you have a great idea to share, read on and start planning! Proposals must be received by July 30, and notification of acceptance will be by August 15.

Please note that if your proposal is accepted, we guarantee you a registration slot from a set saved for presenters, though you will have to pay applicable registration fees.

Presentations may be submitted for STEM Research (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) or Social/Behavioral Science Research Sessions. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, researchers, and people who plan or implement Indigenous research in tribal, state, federal, or other agencies and organizations are encouraged to participate.

In response to numerous requests from previous meeting participants, presentations must explicitly address at least one key aspect of Indigenous Research Methods in a clear and cogent way. Guidelines for making sure your submission meets this requirement are below, and may also be downloaded as a PDF here. The Indigenous Research panel that reviews proposals for both papers and posters will evaluate them on that basis, so be sure to make it clear which category your proposal fits and how it addresses the relevant criteria. The number of proposals that can be accepted will be determined by time limitations at the meeting.

Proposals (for posters; presentations are closed) may be submitted beginning June 1. The final date for submissions is July 30. Notification of acceptance will go out August 15.

Instructions:

1. Read or Download the Submission Guidelines that explain how your proposal, presentation, or poster must specifically address key aspects of Indigenous Research Methods.
2. Prepare your Abstract in a text document. Be sure to include all the following information directly on your abstract:
   1. Your name
   2. Your email address
   3. Your professional contact information
   4. Title of your presentation
   5. Whether your proposal is for a paper or a poster
   6. Whether your proposal is in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Social Science Research, Behavioral Science Research, or other field.
3. Send an email with your proposal Abstract to Dr. Lorelei A. Lambert, PhD, DS starting JUNE 1, 2016. Submission Guidelines:

Papers and Posters for the American Indigenous Research Association Meeting

Papers and Posters submitted to AIRA for the 2016 meeting should address at least one key aspect of Indigenous Research Methods in a clear and cogent way. The Spider Conceptual Framework for Indigenous Research Methods can serve as a template to help you identify specific elements of IRM that most directly connect with the part of your research you wish to share at the meeting.

Most papers and posters will fall into one of four practical categories that can be derived from the Spider Conceptual Framework, though categories will often overlap.

1. Methodology Studies:

Papers that address research methods and practice in various settings, as methods and practices themselves. Subjects could include epistemology, pedagogy, philosophy of science, Native Studies, educational psychology, clinical practice, culturally-relevant assessment methods and so on.

2. Standard Research Methods Applied to Indigenous Inquiries:

Papers that use primarily standard (Western academic) research methods to investigate questions of deep interest to or requiring participation of Indigenous peoples, communities, lands, cultures, and ways. The presenter must address the way(s) that s/he followed appropriate protocols for Indigenous communities, such as: honoring tribal ethics and respectful relationships, respect for tribal protocols such as Elders and councils, retention and jurisdiction of knowledge, honoring community tribal ontology and epistemology, community based data/knowledge dissemination, community interest and need, community empowerment and self determination, and community collaboration and permission.

3. Indigenous Research Methods Applied to Standard Inquiries:

Papers that investigate standard research problems in the natural, social, behaviorial, and medical sciences using Indigenous methods such as story, vision, dream, intuition, art and video, and ritual and ceremony. Such papers are encouraged to integrate the use of IRMs with intellectual and scholarly methods such as logic and reason, statistical analysis, and other more standard research systems common to academia, as appropriate for the specific project. The presenter must address the method(s) that s/he used in the research as part of his/her presentation, and specifically show how the methods were carried out and what kinds of results they generated.

4. Indigenous Systems of Knowledge Dissemination:

Papers and posters in this category may be in alternative formats because of their subject matter, and can include art, video, story-telling, ritual, or other means of disseminating information the presenter has learned through research. If the purpose of the paper or poster is specifically to demonstrate an Indigenous System of Knowledge Dissemination, the presenter must clearly address the issue by explaining what they have chosen to do and why, and explaining the source material available for this means of dissemination to help put it in context and legitimize the process for future scholars. Persons presenting a paper or poster in any of the other three categories may also choose to disseminate their findings in this alternative way. In that case, the submission should be identified as in one of the other categories but explain that an Indigenous System of Dissemination will be used in the presentation or paper. In both cases, the submission must state very clearly what sort of presentation venue is required for the particular mode of dissemination involved.

Be sure to clearly explain which category your submission falls under and how it fits the general guidelines for that category when you submit your paper or poster abstract.

For all presentations, remember that the key element of Indigenous Research Methods is relationship between the learner and the learned. Therefore, regardless of category, each abstract and presentation should clearly state the nature of the relationship between him/her self and the research subject and describe the impact of that relationship on process and (if relevant) outcome.

We look forward to seeing you in October!