Open research questions in Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights

What the literature leaves open

• In this context, there is considerable scope for both individual historians and the AHA to further engage with this arena – especially in the underexplored space of online content creation. At an institutional level, there is scope for professional development in relevant skills, further research into the possibilities and limits of new media for historians, and advocacy to have new media outputs better recognised by universities and the ARC.

  Australians are hungry for new history books – but historians are pressured not to publish locally · 2026 · DOI

• • Emphasize the importance of social, cultural, strengths within Aboriginal and Torres Strait historical, and political determinants in shaping…

  A systematic scoping review for decolonial public and global health: Indigenous frameworks and models of wellbeing from Turtle Island and Moananuiākea · 2026 · DOI

• Many models focused on broader Indigenous adult and community populations (n = 20, First Nation communities, Māori people, Native Hawaiians) (1, 20, 48, 49, 51–59, 68, 69, 71–73, 76, 77). Others focused on specific groups, such as: older Aboriginal adults (67); urban First Nations peoples (54), remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (50, 66), Queer and Transgender Pacific Islanders (QTPI) (74), Māori whānau (61), and Native Hawaiian students and education personnel (70, 71).

  A systematic scoping review for decolonial public and global health: Indigenous frameworks and models of wellbeing from Turtle Island and Moananuiākea · 2026 · DOI

• Smith et al. (67) The Good Spirit, Good • Develop a culturally informed quality of life (QoL) • Implement quantitative validity testing…

  A systematic scoping review for decolonial public and global health: Indigenous frameworks and models of wellbeing from Turtle Island and Moananuiākea · 2026 · DOI

• Camacho et al. (74) N/A • Facilitate inágofli’e’ and alofa for Queer and • Focus on violence as a health outcome and Transgender Pacific Islander (QTPI) to combat violence prevention for QTPI communities settler colonialism’s impacts on well-being • Explore PI individuals living in their Indigenous • Promote anti-colonial recovery by centering homelands and other diasporic spaces…

  A systematic scoping review for decolonial public and global health: Indigenous frameworks and models of wellbeing from Turtle Island and Moananuiākea · 2026 · DOI

• Implications for Future Research Longitudinal Studies on Learner Development and Educational Outcomes: Future research should examine the long-term educational trajectories of overaged Indigenous Peoples (IP) learners to better understand how age disparities influence academic achievement, self-esteem, resilience, and social integration over time.

  Unveiling The Struggles, Dreams, Aspirations and Academic Success Among Overaged IP Learners in the Public Schools: A Phenomenological Inquiry · 2026 · DOI

• The research explored the policies for Aboriginal people, who constitute 30% of the NT population. Other states have smaller proportions (3-4%) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population Published by Scholarship@Westerm, 2026 The International Indigenous Policy Journal, Vol. 16, Iss. 3 18 than the rest of Australia. These policy assessments can give a better understanding of the policy issues that can inform future policies for the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The findings demonstrate that solutions to the renal health challenges faced by NT Aboriginal people need coordinated effort by local, territorial, and federal governments. Therefore, more coordinated action, human resources and training are needed within governance processes to ensure the implementation and monitoring of policies. Unless health policies include targets and affirmative actions (Panicker, 2023), with scrupulous monitoring of the progress, they cannot deliver the required outcomes. Monitoring of policy implementation could benefit Indigenous Australians with CKD; importantly, Aboriginal community- led bodies should be funded to support policy implementation. The effectiveness of policy implementation should be evaluated using data disaggregated by factors such as Aboriginality, geographical location and gender. The policies and frameworks should be revisited based on these evaluations, and social prescribing initiatives can be one way to address the challenges of policy implementation. According to the WHO (2022), social prescribing is the way of connecting people to a range of non-clinical services in their community to improve health and well-being. However, social prescribing must be led by Aboriginal people, in consultation with their stakeholders. Further research is essential to identify the factors hindering the implementation or progress of renal health policies aimed at addressing Indigenous health disparities. This highlights the need for such an investigation, as the analysis revealed that ongoing policies and frameworks over the past two decades have not led to significant improvements in the renal health of NT Aboriginal people.

  Healthcare Rights of Indigenous Australians with Kidney Disease: A Framework Analysis of Renal Policies and Strategic Plans for Possibilities and Limitations in the Northern Territory Health Services · 2026 · DOI

• https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2026.16.3.22291 Basile et al.: Return of Traditional Indigenous Midwifery 9 the necessary technology to conduct online interviews. Unfortunately, some communities were unable to respond to the invitation due to the level of stress and responsibility they were facing in the context of the pandemic. One of the studies concerned only the so-called non-treaty communities, because of the mandate given to us by the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services. Two of the Indigenous peoples under treaty in Northern Quebec (Eeyouch and Inuit) offer midwifery services in some of their communities. The literature on midwifery services in Eeyouch and Inuit communities was nevertheless mobilized to compensate.

  The Return of Traditional Indigenous Midwifery Practices in Quebec · 2026 · DOI

• This research also addresses gaps in the literature on how Indigenous enterprises manage cultural and commercial imperatives simultaneously, the relationship between cultural objectives and economic opportunities for Indigenous people, and the intersection of indigeneity, entrepreneurship, culture, and knowledge.

  Indigenous Tourism Enterprises and Dignity-Centered Organizing: Opportunities for Human Flourishing · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should explore the application of the TCE framework in urban design projects across Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse urban contexts, as well as in analogous Indigenous urban settings in Australia, Canada, and other previously colonised landscapes.

  Therapeutic cultural environments as a framework for indigenous-informed urban biodiversity design in Aotearoa New Zealand · 2026 · DOI

• This study illustrates the role of talking circles as both a therapeutic component and an implementation strat- egy grounded in IK, with strengths including the use of CBPR, engagement of multiple stakeholder groups, and integration of cultural protocols. Although we centered 1 3Clinical Social Work Journal Indigenous knowledge throughout, we also integrated West- ern approaches to methodology, such as team based thematic analysis and critical ethnography. Although these have been tailored to this Indigenous project, more work to decolo- nize and Indigenize these methods even further would be a robust topic for future research. Although two of our co- authors are Indigenous, participants themselves did not co- author this article (though they have been involved in other publications). More engagement, including co-publication and engagement in all parts of the research process would have strengthened the Indigenous methodology of this work and would be a great topic for future research. Several other limitations should be noted. Findings were drawn from a single southeastern tribe, which may limit transferability to other NA/AN communities with distinct cultural practices. Potential self-selection bias may have occurred, as participants willing to engage in talking cir- cles could hold more favorable views of the program. The absence of long-term follow-up data restricts understand- ing of sustained impacts on family functioning and well- ness. Additionally, youth participation posed challenges; younger children may have struggled to articulate feedback, highlighting the need for age-appropriate methods such as visual storytelling or participatory arts. Although the uti- lized CBPR approach aligns with decolonial research meth- ods emphasizing continual partnership in program design, implementation, and adaptation, fitting participant narra- tives into thematic analysis may fragment stories, creating incompatibility with Indigenous ways of being and knowing (Hallett et al., 2017). Future research should assess the scalability of talking circles across diverse tribal contexts and evaluate cultur- ally specific adaptations. Future research can develop talk- ing circle protocols to be used with Indigenous peoples and sharing circle protocols for similar structures without the ceremonial or sacred components where talking circles may not be appropriate. This work should be in close col- laboration with Indigenous community partners. Combin- ing quantitative measures with qualitative insights would strengthen the evidence base and support broader dissemi- nation. Further investigation is needed into how facilitator characteristics shape participant experiences and the feasi- bility of virtual or hybrid models to improve access in rural or remote settings. Finally, developing youth-centered and technology-enhanced engagement strategies will be essen- tial for extending the reach and cultural relevance of Indig- enist implementation approaches. Acknowledgements We acknowledge Heartfelt editors who reviewed and edited the article for basic grammar and clarity prior to submis- sion. Author Contributions CO Drafted the article, KK and KL drafted the discussion, KL drafted and analyzed results. All authors reviewed the manuscript. Funding National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institute of Health under Award Number R01AA028201. Data Availability Data must be requested to the Principal Investigator and required approval from associated tribe(s).

  From Weaving Healthy Families to Weaving Healthy Communities: An Indigenist Dissemination and Implementation Approach Integrating Talking Circle Feedback · 2026 · DOI

• To achieve culturally safe and effective healing, practitioners working with Aboriginal people must be culturally competent, yet existing research suggests culturally informed practice (CIP) is often poorly understood and implemented by many practitioners.

  Aboriginal Practitioners’ Perspectives on Culturally Informed Practice for Trauma Healing in Australia · 2024 · DOI

• However, it remains to be seen how urban Indigenous-led conservation, such as UIPCAs, can fit and operate within proposed government urban conservation initiatives, such as Canada’s Urban National Parks Program, which do not currently foreground Indigenous-led conservation in the governance of urban green space.

  The potential for Indigenous-led conservation in urbanized landscapes in Canada · 2024 · DOI

• Previous studies indicate that engagement with Indigenous education units (IEU) improves student progression, retention and success; however, the specific nature of engagement with IEUs from the students’ perspectives has not been widely examined.

  First Peoples' perspectives on successful engagement at university: What keeps students coming back to Indigenous education units? · 2023 · DOI

• Abstract This paper offers a historical context and analysis on an under-studied First Nations located within the Huron–Robinson Treaty area of Northeastern Ontario—Atikameksheng Anishnawbek [White Fish Lake First Nations], whose relatively small population dealt with a great many challenges as settler society arrival created pressures on livelihoods, spirituality, physical well-being, lifestyles, and much more.

  Seeking Education on Their Terms: The Atikameksheng Anishnawbek [White Fish Lake First Nations] 1880–1930 · 2023 · DOI

• Given the systemic overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the justice system, community-based interventions are important for supporting Indigenous individuals with FASD who are justice-involved, yet little is known about individual experiences with such interventions.

  Client Perceptions of an FASD-Informed Indigenous Restorative Justice Program · 2023 · DOI

• While there has been research that investigates the exclusion of Indigenous people from a broad range of the workings of society in Australia, such as social spaces and institutions, there exists limited literature that specifically focuses on Indigenous LGBTIQ + women’s experiences.

  ‘This is our place, but we’re the outsiders’: the navigation of identity and spaces of belonging by Indigenous LGBTIQ + women in Australia · 2023 · DOI

• We argue for Indigenous community-generated curricula that embody local Indigenous cultural knowledge, values, and practices, drawing on themes arising from analysis of focus group data: participants felt that they brought limited knowledge of their Indigenous language and culture to their program, and participants experienced an awakening of Indigenous knowledge through their participation in Indigenous practices outside the core curriculum.

  Awakening Indigenous Knowledge: Perspectives and Experiences of Indigenous Early Childhood Education Diploma Students · 2022 · DOI

• To redress this bias, we believe revision of Body Mass Index criteria guidelines, which were implemented as part of a nationwide Clinical Priority Criteria Assessment strategy more than 20 years old, are warranted.

  Epistemic injustice and Body Mass Index: Examining Māori and Pacific women’s access to fertility treatment in Aotearoa New Zealand · 2022 · DOI

• Likewise the current indigenous struggle in this pandemic scenario, this article is not limited to a health discussion, yet it aims to contribute to think about the relationship between the pandemic and the dissemination of anti-democratic policies that simultaneously affect the right to health and the territory of these populations.

  The Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic · 2021 · DOI

• The relationship between local government and urban Indigenous Peoples in Ontario is understudied, even though over half of Canada’s Indigenous population live in urban centres, one in five of Canada’s Indigenous population live in Ontario, and the Six Nations of the Grand River has the largest reserve population in Canada.

  Municipal-Indigenous Relations in Ontario: Initiatives in Brantford, Hamilton, and Niagara · 2021 · DOI

• Although the study of race in relation to both settler colonialism, and Indigeneity and Indigenous sovereignty is insufficiently supported by sociology and the social sciences in Australia as elsewhere, scholars are exploring the synergetic possibilities between critical race and decolonial, Indigenous-centred approaches to theorizing the racial state.

  Beyond convergence and divergence: Towards a ‘both and’ approach to critical race and critical Indigenous studies in Australia · 2021 · DOI

• Experiences on the land such as fishing, picking berries, and harvesting edible and medicinal plants with family members and other culture-bearers are known to play a mitigating role in resisting assimilative pressures, yet little is known about how such experiences contribute to a child's growing sense of self and belonging.

  Harvesting <i>Good Medicine:</i> Internalizing and Crystalizing Core Cultural Values in Young Children · 2020 · DOI

• The findings provide valuable insights and practical recommendations for aspiring and current non-Aboriginal Aboriginal Studies teachers seeking to develop a clearer understanding of their, thus far under-researched, roles within the classroom, whilst opening an intriguing dialogue pertaining to the future of Aboriginal Studies in schools and its place within Australia's broader movement for conciliation.

  ‘Teaching from the Heart’: challenges for non-Aboriginal teachers teaching Stage 6 Aboriginal Studies in NSW secondary schools · 2020 · DOI

• Future research may focus on adapting the MAP-KT portal to user knowledge preferences on format, content and linkage to frequently utilized sites, as well as tailored marketing to users in First Nations child welfare services and those who provide services to children with First Peoples’ heritage.

  Non-Aboriginal Child Protective Service Workers’ Utilization of the Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathway Knowledge Translation (MAP-KT) Portal: A Report on the Utilization Statistics and Utilization Gaps of Aboriginal Best-Practice Material · 2020 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights

• The gift in the animal: The ontology of hunting and human–animal sociality · American Ethnologist · 2007 · 399 citations
• Conversation Method in Indigenous Research · First Peoples Child & Family Review An Interdisciplinary Journal Honouring the Voices Perspectives and Knowledges of First Peoples · 2020 · 399 citations
• What is relationality? Indigenous knowledges, practices and responsibilities with kin · Cultural Geographies · 2021 · 361 citations
• MAPPING INDIGENOUS LANDS · Annual Review of Anthropology · 2005 · 302 citations
• The impact of historical trauma on health outcomes for indigenous populations in the USA and Canada: A systematic review. · American Psychologist · 2019 · 288 citations
• Anticolonial Strategies for the Recovery and Maintenance of Indigenous Knowledge · The American Indian Quarterly · 2004 · 244 citations
• THE EFFECT OF MARKET ECONOMIES ON THE WELL-BEING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND ON THEIR USE OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES · Annual Review of Anthropology · 2005 · 205 citations
• Indigenous Theory Uses, Abuses, and Future · Journal of Management Studies · 2021 · 180 citations
• “Rewriting” Cultural Safety Within the Postcolonial and Postnational Feminist Project · Advances in Nursing Science · 2003 · 176 citations
• Beyond Wiindigo Infrastructure · South Atlantic Quarterly · 2020 · 170 citations

Most recent work

• RCC Perspectives, Vol. 2 (2014): Minding the Gap: Working Across Disciplines in Environmental Studies · Own your potential (DEAKIN) · 2026
• Multispecies Responsibility and Planetary Health Education: Integrating Indigenous Relational Ontologies and Behavioral Transformation · Challenges · 2026
• Regenerating the Peatland Forests of Kalimantan Through Dayak Ngaju Language: New Animisms, Ecolinguistics and the Naming of Worlds · Australian Journal of Environmental Education · 2026
• Integrating indigenous knowledge to foster social, environmental, and moral consciousness in accounting education · Accounting Education · 2026
• Understanding the journey to higher education: decision-making insights from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students · Higher Education Research & Development · 2026
• Weaving Regenerative Value Through Nature-Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement: Insights From Indigenous Businesses in the Sierra Nevada · Business & Society · 2026
• Strengthening Treaty Understanding: The Role of Education in Building Durable Indigenous–State Agreements · Australian Journal of Social Issues · 2026
• Using the TCP data to study Indigenous households’ living arrangements at the turn of the 20th century: Challenges and opportunities · Historical Methods A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History · 2026
• We Are the Data, but Never the Researchers: Epistemic Violence in the Study of Technology-Facilitated Abuse · Journal of sociology · 2026
• Beyond anthropocentrism: hybrid epistemologies and ontologies for transformative qualitative research · Qualitative Research Journal · 2026

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