Chapter 7: Walking and Thinking Together: Transforming Views of Relational Scholarship to Advance Reciprocity Within the Academy, Profession, and Community

After being away for some time, we (Michael and Timothy) came home to the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana. It was during a scheduled break of the American Indian Research Association Conference (AIRA) in 2015 that Timothy invited Michael, and other friends also attending the conference, for a short hike to his favorite childhood thinking/pondering spot along the shores of Flathead Lake. During the hike, a conversation sparked in which we collectively addressed a question that was churning in our minds while attending the conference: What would research look like if it were done with already established relations? In other words, if research was done with our communities, with our families, with our friends turned families? What opportunities of understanding might emerge? And, concurrently, what harms from damaging research practices might be avoided?