Tribal Engagement

The Transformation Network has a commitment to work with Tribes on research that:

• Aligns with community needs and interests, ensures community benefits, and does not overburden communities
• Respects Tribal sovereignty, data sovereignty, and Indigenous knowledges

Tribal and Indigenous communities have goals that support a holistic view of community life. Various types of information can be used to help support those goals. Some information needs may suggest opportunities for co-produced research.

Some of the Transformation Network research projects currently working with Tribes include:

• Small-Scale Sustainable Off-Grid Food-Energy-Water System
• The Feasibility of Controlled Environment Agriculture from the Perspectives of Indigenous Farmers in the Four Corners
• History and Impacts of Indigenous and Settler-Colonial Water Management in the Colorado and Poudre River Basins
• Water Resources and Watershed Planning for Indigenous and Rural Communities in the Intermountain West

Ongoing Transformation Network efforts to improve research with Tribal communities entail:

• Improving access to information and developing future research projects to better meet Tribal community needs
• Improving researcher understanding of how to work with Tribes
• Supporting Native researchers in their research work
• Planning a workshop on Indigenous data sovereignty for Fall 2025 in New Mexico

Ethical co-produced research requires relationships and partnerships between community representatives and researchers to share existing information, ensure benefits and safeguards are in place through the entire process, and form an effective collaboration. Community representatives commit to sharing from the community’s perspective. Researchers commit to listening and participating, increasing their understanding of ethical work with communities, and offering their research skills.

The Tribal Engagement effort to improve access to information and research includes:

• A pilot project in New Mexico, with discussions with Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos about their needs
• A partnership with the South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
• An Advisory Committee with representatives from Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos and their organizations

To learn more about Tribal engagement efforts in the Transformation Network, please contact Dr. Sharon Hausam or Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie.