Researching Native Americans: Reflections on Vocabulary, Search Strategies, and Technology

摘要

The application of the search query strings is largely dependent on how focused the research question is and the researcher's knowledge of the topic. Indigenous scholarship, unlike settler colonial academics, puts The People first, the community before the self, and the specific Nation before the United States. The searches with the returns of articles that were meaningful, with authors who contribute to American Indian Scholarship, who display the excellence of Indigenous ways of knowing, and who conduct research for their communities, were found by humanizing the search terms. They were specific and respected the sovereignty of a Nation or community by using the names and terms they deem appropriate themselves. When the topic spans historical time periods and lacks clear controlled language to describe the topic, we recommend a search query or queries that cast a wider net.