"Yarning" as a Method for Community-Based Health Research with Indigenous Women: The Indigenous Women’s Wellness Research Program

• Yarning: an Indigenous conversational process that involves the sharing of stories; the telling and sharing of stories and information; the talking and listening without the interruption of direct questioning. This method was used to define the scope of the research, data collection, as well as triangulation of research data

• Family yarning: a type of yarning used to capture the family and personal connections and relationships that exist between and among community members in regard to land, spirituality, and kinship. It was part of the process of connecting and social positioning that occurs as participants discover their relationality to one another.

• Cross-Cultural Yarning: a type of yarning that involves communication and interactions between indigenous and non-indigenous people. It helped Indigenous and non-Indigenous researches to talk about and pay specific attention to protocol and cultural respect.

Based on research with the Indigenous Women’s Wellness Project in Brisbane, Australia, this study explores "Yarning" as a method for community-based health research. Yarning provides a familiar and relaxed form of communication. In this article, the authors contribute to previous literature on yarning by specifying two types: family yarning and cross-cultural yarning.

• Used of an Indigenous way (yarning) of communication, story-telling, information-sharing as research methodology and method; believed that yarning establishes relationality between people and determines accountability between those people
• Ensured to engage with male and female elders and influential indigenous community members to whom in-depth information was offered; questions were answered; and whose assistance and advice were asked and accepted in the process of developing the project
• Ensured asking for consent throughout the entire research process
• Involved community organizations and leading members suggested by the elders to recruit participants
• Followed cultural protocols
• Participants are both elemental contributors to the research decision making and crucial donors of information. Their values are centered in the research process and keep an active voice for their community’s needs and concerns in regard of the research
• Centered indigenous knowledge systems, ways of doing, values, and perspectives through the research

Research is invasive and interventionist. By centering indigenous knowledge systems, ways of doing, values, and perspectives in Indigenous health research, Western research conventions can be reframed to design and practice Indigenous health research that is culturally safe, appropriate, and community-based for Indigenous women in Australia.

Survey results, conversations, personal stories

Yarning establishes ongoing and mutual conversations between community members about the research. Through yarning, knowledge mobilization becomes an ongoing stage of the research. Also, researchers participated in community meetings and updated community representatives about the project’s progress and the activities arising from the project.

"Because yarning is a common form of communication that is undertaken daily by Indigenous women, it is a powerful form of information sharing and knowledge building. To achieve accurate, in-depth, and respectful research with indigenous communities, incorporating a familiar and culturally appropriate style of information sharing, such as yarning, is essential" (p. 1224)

Health
Women’s health
Qualitative research methodology