This commentary highlights indigenous public health research from a special issue of the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction dealing with child maltreatment, mental health, substance abuse and gambling. We focus on the emerging and growing research movement in Indigenous research through three important themes: 1) worldview and ethics; 2) culturally based research methods; and 3) the need to research both the sources and symptoms of disadvantage. The articles in this issue are then framed within a public health approach (surveillance, identification of risk and protective factors, intervention-evaluation and implementation).