Protecting Knowledge.Elevating Voices.Empowering Sovereignty.
Research grounded in Indigenous sovereignty and guided by CARE principles—ensuring Indigenous communities maintain authority over their knowledge systems while fostering collective benefit, responsibility, and ethical engagement.
Core Methodologies
Grounded in respect, reciprocity, and relationality, my work is guided by three interconnected pillars.
Community-Centered
Prioritizing community needs and voices, ensuring research is relevant, respectful, and beneficial to the communities I partner with.
Relational Methodologies
Building trust and fostering long-term relationships as the foundation for ethical and meaningful engagement and knowledge co-creation.
Upholding Data Sovereignty
Championing the inherent right of Indigenous Peoples to govern the collection, ownership, and application of their own data (OCAP®/CARE).
Research Philosophy
My approach to research is fundamentally shaped by Indigenous ways of knowing and being in the world.
Stories as Data
I believe that stories are not just anecdotal evidence, they are sacred vessels of knowledge that carry the wisdom of generations. Story as methodology honors storytelling as a rigorous research approach that recognizes the epistemological validity of Indigenous ways of knowing.
Relational Accountability
Research is not extractive—it is relational. I am accountable not only to academic standards but to the communities, ancestors, and future generations whose lives are touched by this work. Every project begins with relationship-building and continues with ongoing reciprocity.
Decolonizing Methodology
My work actively challenges colonial research paradigms by centering Indigenous voices, prioritizing community benefit, and ensuring that research serves the self-determination goals of Indigenous peoples rather than extracting knowledge for external gain.
Areas of Impact
Research that creates meaningful change in Indigenous communities and advances social justice.
Community Health & Wellness
Supporting Indigenous communities in reclaiming traditional food systems, improving health outcomes, and strengthening cultural connections to land and wellness practices.
- • Traditional food sovereignty initiatives
- • Community-based health research
- • Cultural wellness program development
Educational Transformation
Developing culturally-grounded curricula and pedagogical approaches that honor Indigenous knowledge systems while meeting contemporary educational needs.
- • Indigenous language revitalization
- • Culturally responsive teaching methods
- • Traditional knowledge integration
Data Sovereignty & Governance
Advancing Indigenous data sovereignty through policy development, technical frameworks, and capacity-building initiatives that ensure communities control their own data.
- • CARE principles implementation
- • Data governance policy development
- • Technical sovereignty solutions
Policy & Advocacy
Informing policy decisions through research that amplifies Indigenous voices and promotes systemic change at institutional and governmental levels.
- • Evidence-based policy recommendations
- • Institutional change advocacy
- • Rights-based research frameworks
Capacity Building
Empowering Indigenous researchers and community members through training, mentorship, and collaborative research opportunities that build local research capacity.
- • Research methodology training
- • Community researcher development
- • Academic-community partnerships
Technology & Innovation
Developing ethical technology solutions that serve Indigenous communities while respecting cultural protocols and maintaining data sovereignty.
- • Decolonial frameworks
- • Community-controlled platforms
- • Ethical technology development
Frequently Asked Questions
CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
The CARE Principles provide a framework for Indigenous data governance that promotes Indigenous peoples' interests and wellbeing. These principles complement technical data management standards with values-based, people-centered approaches that respect Indigenous sovereignty over data and knowledge systems.
Collective Benefit
Data ecosystems should be designed to enable Indigenous peoples and communities to derive benefit from data and actively participate in its governance.
Authority to Control
Indigenous peoples' rights and interests in Indigenous data must be recognized, and their authority over such data must be actively supported.
Responsibility
Those working with Indigenous data have a responsibility to share how data are used to support Indigenous peoples' self-determination and collective benefit.
Ethics
Indigenous peoples' rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at all stages of the data lifecycle and across the data ecosystem.
Let's Build a More Equitable Future, Together.
Whether you're a community leader, a student, or a fellow researcher, your voice matters. Let's connect and explore how we can collaborate.