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Jones, Jocelyn
Reading Response #1
INDG 303
March 9th, 2020

The Indigenous Peoples Project: Setting a New Agenda

Keywords: knowledge, survival, revitalization, self-determination, mobilization, recovery.

In chapter six of Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s book, Decolonizing Methodologies, the focus

shifts to field research and its developments by Indigenous peoples. This includes how the

Indigenous people's project sets out a new framework within Indigenous research while

explaining relevant social-historical movements, and the Indigenous research agenda (Smith

111). Lastly, Smith discusses how respect and ethical protocols are essential when conducting

research from an Indigenous perspective (Smith 125).

Smiths' main thesis explains how using Indigenous field research is problematic from an

Indigenous person’s point of view due to the struggles throughout history. Firstly, Smith explains

the 500 years of interaction with the West. She emphasizes the basic struggle for survival and

how Indigenous peoples have faced from Eurocentric colonization (Smith 111). Smith then

begins to discuss the significance of all the Indigenous social movements and its implications.

Smith, in particular, explains how the movement shifted from for the “people” to the “peoples”

and the importance of that movement (112). It is explained how Smith focuses on the Maori

peoples, such as how their dream is centered around sovereignty, family, language, and Maori

culture (113). Smith explains how Indigenous research is highly political, with Gerald Alfred

stating that if you are born Indian you are born into politics (114). The discussion shifts onto
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international mobilization and how different peoples in different countries have engaged in re-

establishing Indigenous communities. It is then exemplified how a simple chart, a metaphor for

the ocean, emphasizes different tides that produce a practice for methodological research from an

Indigenous point of view (Smith 120).

Within chapter six, Smith highlights important evidence surrounding her arguments.

Regarding its development, the Indigenous people's project is significant due to its growth post

World War Two, and Smith explains how it was re-formulated and faced struggles such as

violent revolutions, armed resistance, and ‘decolonization of the mind’ (111). The social

movement stems from the problematic view of cultural revitalization, referring to the Eurocentric

domination of Indigenous people’s culture (Smith 112). Among Indigenous writers, there is a

consensus that social movements by Indigenous peoples are due to urbanization, revivalism, and

out of the reserves (Smith 112). According to Smith, Indigenous communities have contested the

legitimacy of documents referring to lands that were built by colonial states. Indigenous

Australians challenge the existing documents of terra nullies because they are constantly being

denied claims to land (Smith 115). One of the central points of this chapter was the chart Smith

provided. The tides are survival, recovery, development, and self-determination at the center

which according to the chart means different research processes (Smith 121). Each tide has deep

meaning and process’s that are required to do Indigenous research. Lastly, Smith explains how

ethical protocols are important within research in Indigenous communities because it should be

centered around respect and reciprocity (125). Smith explains how there are different codes of

conduct and values that must be represented within an Indigenous community (125).

This chapter provides meaning about the importance of historical social movements by

Indigenous peoples. The people’s project agenda is important because it is creating a new
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framework within Indigenous research methods. If applied from a Western perspective, it would

provide Indigenous communities with a sense of respect and self-determination.

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Works Cited

Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples (2nd

Edition). Zed Books, 2012.