Roots collaborated with the Indigenous Research Support Initiative (IRSI) to hold a session at the 2025 Partnering in Research (PiR) Conference.
The PiR Conference facilitates learning and conversation surrounding equitable and engaged research with partners outside of academia, with a focus on community-centered change. At this full-day event, UBC faculty, staff, graduate students, and external collaborative partners gathered to discuss and develop strategies for partnered research, sharing perspectives on the ethical, cultural, and political nuances of this work.
The Roots and IRSI team decided to share the Roots Circle as a form of ceremonial community building and engagement. Given the tight schedule of the conference day, it was a challenge to condense a talking circle, which is meant to have no time constraint, into a 50-minute session. Nevertheless, with the guidance of our project’s Elders and our determination to find a way to bring ceremony into the typical monotony of conference culture, we were able to host thirty people in ceremony for four rounds, including and opening and closing by our Elders, Auntie Rosie and Elder Duane.
Our team spoke with one of our Elders about wanting to create a visual representation of what was shared within this circle. However, we had been aware of two teachings that are integral to the talking circle ceremony: keep distractions out of the way (this includes using devices or taking notes), and everything said in the circle stays in the circle. Our Elder reminded us of these teachings, but she also told us it would be appropriate to document our learnings with the intention of creating collective wisdom — the ultimate goal of this session, alongside the sharing of ceremony. We decided that, though it is important to honour our protocols, it is also important to recognize the fluidity of culture and acknowledge where there is room for flexibility within tradition when it benefits the community and the cause.
This graphic is a summary of the wisdom shared within the circle to better support research partnerships with Indigenous communities. Each quadrant is a collection of answers from one round within the talking circle. It is meant to be used as a learning tool for each of us to reflect on our values, our feelings, our challenges, and our opportunities to create change. It also serves as a tool to consider new ways of discussing, documenting, and celebrating our collective knowledge.
The Roots Team would like to thank everyone who attended the circle and the PiR Conference. Thank you to our Elders, Rosie George-Dapp and Duane Jackson, to our partner Sam Filipenko from IRSI, and to everyone on the PiR Team for their dedication and care.
