
Our Research Program
Dechinta has made a significant contribution to Northern Indigenous and Dene knowledge creation, preservation and dissemination over the past decade. Developing relationships and working closely in collaboration with Yellowknives Dene elders, community members and academics for so many years has led Dechinta to practice a research approach that is rooted in Dene ethics, laws, and values.

What is Research?
Research is curiosity, passion, and thinking in relation to the world around us. It is the creation, preservation, and sharing of knowledge. Centering non-traditional forms of knowledge dissemination and research praxis is an important part of reframing what Indigenous-centered research can be. At Dechinta we believe it is important to make space for research projects that require slow collaboration building. Our research outputs do not always take the form of peer reviewed publications, but involve the long-term creation of ethical and reciprocal relationships between communities.
Our Research Mission
Land-based learning is fundamental to revitalizing and sustaining Indigenous and Dene knowledge, worldviews, culture, and language. Indigenous Knowledge systems are rigorous land-based knowledge systems in their own right, with their own theoretical, methodological and ethical practices, and their mechanisms for protecting and sharing knowledge. As such, there is a growing recognition of the importance of research in building strong self-determining Indigenous communities amidst the ongoing political, social and cultural context of decolonization and reconciliation in Canada. Despite this, significant challenges have emerged in re-centering Indigenous voices and ways of knowing in Indigenous-led research and education programs. At Dechinta we work to support wise practices in conducting Indigenous research in the North by participating in knowledge creation and dissemination that serves the needs, and is developed in close relationship to the communities that we work with.

Research Priorities, Values and Ethics
Before we undertake research at Dechinta, we consider the following:
Collecting Knowledge: How are we collecting knowledge ethically? How does the process of knowledge creation serve the individuals and communities we are working with?
Sharing and Publishing Knowledge: What cultural and community knowledge do we share with a wider audience? What knowledge do we not share? If we want to publish or disseminate our research findings at Dechinta, it is necessary to receive consent from the Elders, knowledge holders, and community members who have shared their knowledge with us.
Community Access to Knowledge: Who has access to the research we conduct? Who benefits from it? At Dechinta we support research projects that contribute to long-term capacity building and sustainable change in Northern communities and we want our research to be accessible to Indigenous non-academics and community members in the North.
Ownership Control Access Possession (OCAP) Guidelines: Dechinta aims to adhere to OCAP principles, which asserts that First Nations have control over data collection processes, and that communities own and control how this information can be used. The guidelines establish how First Nations’ data and information will be collected, protected, used, or shared and can be used as a tool to support strong information governance on the path to First Nations data sovereignty. More information on OCAP guidelines can be accessed here: https://fnigc.ca/ocap-training/

