Grounded in story, responsibility, and community
The Fire Inside the Theory
Relational research, Indigenous knowledge systems, and digital education
Academic Writing
This page gathers my academic work and ongoing research as a Haudenosaunee scholar working at the intersections of Indigenous knowledge systems, digital education, and trauma-informed pedagogy. It is a living space – one that moves with story, responsibility, and relationship over time.
About My Work
My work sits at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge systems, digital education, and trauma-informed pedagogy. As a Haudenosaunee scholar, I approach research as relational, accountable, and grounded in community.
My scholarship explores how digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, can be designed in ways that support Indigenous learners, particularly women navigating higher education after experiences of gender-based violence. I am interested not only in access, but in the creation of learning environments that are culturally grounded, emotionally safe, and relationally responsible.
Across my work, I am guided by principles of relational accountability, story, and responsibility. I understand research not as extraction, but as a process of relationship, care, and ongoing commitment.
Research Areas
Key threads that move through my work include:
Indigenous Research Methodologies (IRM)
Gender-Based Violence and Education
Trauma-Informed Digital Learning
Relational Pedagogy and Story-Based Learning
AI and Indigenous Digital Sovereignty
Distance Education and Equity
The Fire Bundle Braid Circle
Fire Bundle Braid Circle Visual: A framework for Indigenous digital educational research.
The Fire Bundle Braid Circle is a framework I developed to articulate how Indigenous research methodologies operate within my work. It reflects an understanding of knowledge as relational, cyclical, and carried through responsibility.
The circle represents relational accountability — the understanding that knowledge is not linear, but emerges through relationships with people, land, and community. Within the circle, braided strands connect theory and practice, bringing together Indigenous feminist theory, digital sovereignty, trauma-informed pedagogy, and Two-Eyed Seeing.
The framework is not only conceptual but lived. It guides how I design research, how I engage with participants, and how I understand my responsibilities as a researcher. It centers story, reciprocity, and care, and resists extractive approaches to knowledge production.
Selected Writings
Academic Papers
Methodological Reflections
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Embodied Learning and Its Role in Supporting Indigenous Distance Education
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Methodological Critique: Indigenous Approaches to Research
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From Harm to Healing: Trauma‑Informed Digital Pedagogies
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Research as Ceremony and Relational Practice
Dissertation (In Progress)
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The Fire Inside the Screen: Technological Infrastructures, Trauma, and Indigenous Women’s Safety in Online Higher Education
My research is grounded in Haudenosaunee and broader Indigenous research methodologies. These approaches emphasize relational accountability, reciprocity, and responsibility.
I do not approach research as a neutral or extractive process. Instead, I understand it as a space of relationship, where knowledge is shared, carried, and protected.
Research Approach
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Research as relational practice, not extraction (Kovach; Montgomery; Wilson)
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Story as knowledge, not data (Kovach; Battiste; Young Leon; Nadeau)
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Community accountability over institutional priority (Kovach; Montgomery; Brunette‑Debassige)
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Ethics grounded in relationship, not only review processes (Wilson; Battiste)
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Knowledge guided by Indigenous law, teachings, and responsibility (Battiste; Brunette‑Debassige; Cupchik; Schnarr)
Current Work
My current work brings together research, digital design, and community-based approaches to education and support.
Doctoral Dissertation
The Fire Inside the Screen
Digital Platform
Framework Development
Fire Bundle Braid Circle
Collaborations
Ongoing collaborations in Indigenous digital education and safety
Collectives / Networks
Heartwork Collective (www.heart-work-collective.com)
Visualizing the Work
These visuals reflect the relationships between land, technology, and story that shape my work.
Connecting in a Good Way
I welcome opportunities to connect with researchers, educators, and communities who are working in ways that prioritize relationality, responsibility, and Indigenous knowledge systems.
This work is not meant to stand alone. It is part of a larger set of relationships, conversations, and commitments.
Recent Posts
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