From the vantage point of indigenous peoples, the term "research" is inextricably linked to European imperialism and colonialism. In this book, an indigenous researcher calls for the decolonization of research methods. The first part of the book critically examines the historical and philosophical bases of Western research; Western conceptions of the individual and society, space, and time; colonial schooling and other ways of establishing the superior position of Western knowledge; the position of Native intellectuals within their own societies; the ways in which informal systems of collecting information about indigenous societies became institutionalized within the New Zealand colonial context; and current threats to indigenous communities' control of their own knowledge and culture. The second part focuses on research conceptualized and carried out by indigenous people working as researchers in indigenous communities. A framework for an indigenous research agenda is set out that encompasses the processes of decolonization, healing, mobilization, and transformation within four community statuses: survival, recovery, development, and self-determination. Numerous examples of indigenous research projects in New Zealand and North America, including projects concerned with education and language maintenance, demonstrate the ways in which an indigenous research agenda is being articulated and indigenous knowledge is being validated. (Contains references and an index.) (SV)