“Nothing about us, without us”

Many tribal and urban Native communities are familiar with the long history of abuse of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples in health research and evaluation. In this document, we provide examples of this harmful research. These abuses often took place in direct violation of ethical guidelines or because researchers lacked understanding and respect for AI/AN culture and values. These historical abuses played a role in informing a new generation of research that abided by ethical and cultural norms and respected AI/AN communities. To contrast these harmful examples, we also provide examples of respectful research. These respectful research projects were often conducted by AI/AN people or under the direction of AI/AN people. They offer valuable lessons in how to approach and conduct research with AI/AN communities in a good way. Harmful Research Examples