Symbiotic Allegory as Innovative Indigenous Research Methodology

This article introduces symbiotic allegory, an innovative research method designed by the researcher, an American Indian Chippewa. Symbiotic allegory incorporates traditional methods (storytelling, the Dream Catcher-Medicine Wheel, traditional grounding ceremonies) with Western interview methodology to evoke trust and candor among Plains Indians who had never voiced the traumatic stories of their childhood boarding school experiences. Implications reflect the importance of creating methodologies that incorporate the ways of knowing of the group being studied, which is best accomplished by a researcher who comes from within the ranks of the population being studied.