Community-based research

Community partnership is at the heart of CIEDAR’s work. Our team partners with Indigenous communities across Turtle Island, addressing their needs by centering the strength and wisdom embedded in their ancestral traditions and teachings. These knowledges and practices are woven into surveys, land-based methods, and qualitative (e.g., talking circles or interviews) projects that allow communities to share their lives and lived experiences with academics and other communities.

Outputs

Taché Waters Healing Society

CIEDAR and Taché Waters Healing Society have partnered to co-develop an evidence- and land-based healing camp. The camp will address physical and mental health disparities, as they are experienced by First Nation families living in the Northwest Territories. Reconnecting to culture and community at land-based healing camps contributes to improved health outcomes among Indigenous Peoples, allowing the community to thrive through the work done through this partnership.

Our current outputs from this project include a manuscript under review entitled “‘And they are still the guardians of these sacred waters…’: Land as a Process of Reconciliation,” which explores how taking the land as a partner while co-developing land-based interventions with Indigenous communities contributes to reconciliation by decolonizing facilitators’ and participants’ understandings of healing and health as tied to land.

CIEDAR Partnerships in Aotearoa

CIEDAR has partnerships with Māori communities, organizations, and researchers in Aotearoa (New Zealand), including Massey University, University of Waikato, the Ngāti Apa Research Group, Te Atawhai o Te Ao, Te Runanga o Nga Wairiki and the Kakano Rangatahi.

CIEDAR leadership presented to the Community Kōrero at Tū Tama Wahine o Taranakiat and the Ngāti Tāwhirikura at the Land and Sea Symposium in November 2022.

CIEDAR team members presented at the Tangata Whenua Tangata Ora Project team gathering and at the Te Ruunanga o Ngaa Wairiki Ngaati Apa’s “Rising Before Dawn Indigenous Learnings from the Pandemic” workshop in Marton in February 2023.

Hearing Indigenous Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic Symposium

In June 2023, CIEDAR hosted a dialogue session, Hearing Indigenous Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic, highlighting the experiences and triumphs of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island and around the world. The hybrid dialogue session with researchers based in Canada, the United States, and New Zealand included presentations and discussions about lessons learned on conducting research in Indigenous communities and about Indigenous resilience during the pandemic.

The event was presented in partnership with UBC Health After 2020 Dialogue Session, UBC Sociology, UBC Indigenous Land-Based Health, Wellness, and Education Research Cluster, and CoVaRR-Net EDI&I.

CoVaRR-Net Spring 2023 Meeting Workshop

CIEDAR partnered with the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Indigeneity (EDI&I) team to offer a training workshop on engaging with Indigenous communities and partners. In addition, CIEDAR Lead Dr. Kimberly Huyser was part of the breakout session called “Data and Reagent Sharing,” during which she spoke about the importance of Indigenous data sovereignty.

Wastewater needs assessment & infographic

CIEDAR published a one-page summary to educate Indigenous communities and academics on what is needed for Indigenous Peoples to sustainably participate in wastewater surveillance.

If you’re interested in wastewater surveillance in your community, please contact the director of CoVaRR-Net’s Wastewater Surveillance Research Group, Robert Delatolla, Robert.Delatolla@uottawa.ca.

Webinar on health equity

CoVaRR-Net’s CIEDAR hosted a virtual panel called “Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian Research Ecosystem Webinar” in collaboration with Genome Canada, the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health, and CanCOGen on December 6, 2021. Panelists included Dr. Jessica Kolopenuk, Taylor Morriseau, and Leona Star, and the panel was moderated by CIEDAR Lead Dr. Kimberly R. Huyser. The webinar covered issues specific to engaging Indigenous populations in research such as open data/open science, data sovereignty and appropriate.

Webinar on vaccine hesitancy

CIEDAR Lead Dr. Kimberly R. Huyser participated in this webinar hosted by the UBC Vaccine Literacy Club entitled “Vaccines 101: The Role of Vaccines in the COVID-19 Pandemic,” along with fellow CoVaRR-Net Pillar leads Dr. Jen Gommerman, Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras, and Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine.

Dr. Huyser presented emerging understandings of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, vaccination rates and vaccine hesitancy among Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. To overcome vaccine hesitancy within Indigenous communities, it is important to address systemic barriers that Indigenous communities encounter within the dominant healthcare system.

Current Projects

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Taché Waters Healing Society

CIEDAR and Taché Waters Healing Society have partnered to co-develop an evidence- and land-based healing camp that is currently being supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SHHRC) Partnership Development Grant and the University of British Columbia’s Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund. The camp will address physical and mental health disparities, as they are experienced by First Nation families living in the Northwest Territories. Reconnecting to culture and community at land-based healing camps contributes to improved health outcomes among Indigenous Peoples, allowing the community to thrive through the work done through this partnership.

Partner with us

Central to CIEDAR’s work is a commitment to building strong partnerships

Interested in partnering with us? Contact tamara.chavez@ubc.ca

About CIEDAR

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Meet our team

Learn more about our work

Pandemic preparedness Community-based research Digital storytelling & (re)connection

Follow CIEDAR

Join us June 8th for “Hearing Indigenous Voices
During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

In conjunction with UBC Health, we’re presenting this hybrid symposium on Indigenous health during the pandemic. Indigenous scholars from Canada, US, and New Zealand will be participating. We’ll be discussing lessons learned about conducting research and Indigenous resilience during the pandemic.

Date: Thursday, June 8th at 9 AM
Where: Jack Pool Hall, UBC Alumni Centre. In-person attendance includes catered breakfast and lunch.

Participants have the option of in-person and virtual attendance.

RSVP now!

Speakers Agenda

Our Team

Kimberly R. Huyser

CoVaRR-Net’s Indigenous Engagement, Development, and Research (CIEDAR) Pillar Lead

Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

See bio Website

Michelle Johnson-Jennings

International Indigenous Engagement

Adjunct faculty, University of Saskatchewan
Professor, University of Washington

See bio Website

Katherine Anne Collins

Culture, Language, and Identity

Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan

See bio Website

CIEDAR’s Advisory Council

CIEDAR’s advisory council is key to the research activities and efforts of CIEDAR. They direct and guide our research and outreach efforts by providing expert advice, participating in all stages of the research process, and connecting us to community. Specifically, they:

are research collaborators
are representatives of their communities as they contribute valuable insight into the needs of Indigenous communities
receive and disseminate updates from CIEDAR to their respective communities and networks

Sheila Blackstock

See bio

Maureen Dobbins

See bio

Elder Felix J. Lockhart

See bio

Renée Masching

See bio

Calvin Racette

See bio

Current Projects

1. Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Case Incidence Study Across Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every person, community, organization, and country around the world. Unfortunately, the various impacts of the pandemic have not been equally distributed. Indigenous Peoples living in North America have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Indigenous Peoples are at higher risk of COVID-19 due to the historical and ongoing legacy of settler colonialism and systemic racism.

In Canada, there is a dearth of disaggregated COVID-19 data. As such, it is not clear exactly how Indigenous persons have been differentially impacted. The social determinants of health study aims to answer these questions so that appropriate resources can be allocated.

2. Hearing Indigenous Voices Survey

In order to hear Indigenous voices, to identify their needs, and to understand their experiences during the pandemic, CIEDAR has implemented an international survey in Canada and the United States. We plan to use what we learn from Indigenous community members to guide our future research and initiatives, to amplify exemplary responses, and to advocate for the changes that they wish to see.

3. #BeadAndThrive Social Media Campaign

The Indigenous #BeadAndThrive Campaign is an initiative that invites all Indigenous persons currently residing on Turtle Island to share their lived experiences of thrivance. For example, one of our community members shared this statement about where they find thrivance:

“During this pandemic we were able to thrive by simply stepping outside for 5 minutes and listening to the calls of nature.”

CIEDAR hopes to hear these stories of Indigenous thrivance, to learn from them, and to amplify them in order to empower others. In addition, we hope to facilitate connection or reconnection to culture and community through beading as a practice that helps Indigenous Peoples not only cope with the pandemic but to thrive through it.

More about #BeadAndThrive

Beading, to us, represents Indigenous thrivance. This traditional craft has existed throughout our long history, but it is not unchanging. Instead, history shows that Indigenous makers have continually adapted and modernized the craft, incorporated new materials and designs, and consistently kept it relevant to who we are. It demonstrates our ingenuity, adaptability, and creativity. It connects us to our ways and our community, which helps us cope.

We have connected with beading influencers and will be sharing how-to bead videos like the following:

We will also be sharing why-to bead like the following:

Win Indigenous Art!

Community members who share their thrivance stories will be eligible to win Indigenous art. Here are some examples of what you could win by participating.

“Michif (Métis) people are known as the flower beadwork people. Utilizing trade kinship relationships and traditional Indigenous ways of knowing, they created a style unique to them as a people. For this piece, I decided to create a vintage but modern style flower, modelling it after a cherry blossom. Just like the spring season that feels as if it will never come after a cold winter, cherry blossoms meet the season with their gorgeous blooms. The beads used in this project are from the late 1800s Europe – the same that could have been used by my ancestors through the dark days after the resistance. I incorporated a pearl to show how beautiful things can be made from single grains coming together. I also used tanned hide from a Squamish nation powwow. All of these elements work together to symbolize a continuum of rising after difficult times to find a new way, to create gems from sand, to bloom after a cold winter – thrivance.”

– By Emma Love-Cabana at Three Sisters by Emma

Turtle and Fireweed
– Autumn Smith

Community-based research

Outputs

Taché Waters Healing Society

CIEDAR Partnerships in Aotearoa

Hearing Indigenous Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic Symposium

CoVaRR-Net Spring 2023 Meeting Workshop

Wastewater needs assessment & infographic

Webinar on health equity

Webinar on vaccine hesitancy

Current Projects

Taché Waters Healing Society

Partner with us

About CIEDAR

Meet our team

Learn more about our work

Pandemic preparedness Community-based research Digital storytelling & (re)connection

Follow CIEDAR

Join us June 8th for “Hearing Indigenous Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Our Team

CIEDAR’s Advisory Council

Current Projects

1. Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Case Incidence Study Across Canada

2. Hearing Indigenous Voices Survey

3. #BeadAndThrive Social Media Campaign

More about #BeadAndThrive

Win Indigenous Art!

Join us June 8th for “Hearing Indigenous Voices
During the COVID-19 Pandemic”