Indigenous at the Heart: Indigenous research in a climate change project

Abstract

Indigenous involvement at all stages of research has been called for over several decades and is now an increasingly accepted requirement. This paper outlines the research approaches of the Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change: The Arabunna, South Australia project, which in the initial development phase identified a number of basic tenets. The intent is to outline these tenets, discuss the level of Indigenous involvement and activity within this project and analyse the approach taken in the context of key features articulated within Indigenous research over previous decades. Finally, this paper reflects on future research directions, particularly the importance of informed Indigenous involvement, the need for respectful relationships in multi-knowledges and multi-disciplinary research and the importance of communication.