Research Methodology & Approach
Methodologically, our research team drew on an Indigenous paradigm (Kovach, 2009) along with an Indigenous decolonial methodological approach to research (Smith, 1999) gathering data through:
- oral interviews with 26 people mostly Indigenous people affiliated with Western as students/alumni, staff, faculty and/or community partners in different time periods;
- written records including over 200 institutional records, news articles and Department of Indian and Northern Affairs archives related to Indigenous peoples and initiatives at Western;
- one sharing circle /focus group with staff members at the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.
