European Social Sciences Research Journal Vol. 1, Issue 2, March 2013 Mary & Sam Research Academia, UK 145 www.marynsam.co.uk SENSITIVITY IN INDIGENOUS IDENTITY RESEARCH Erika Sarivaara, Kaarina Määttä & Satu Uusiautti Faculty of Education, University of Lapland, FINLAND Cite this Paper: Erika, S., Määttä, K. & Uusiautti, S. (2013). Sensitivity in indigenous identity research. European Social Sciences Research Journal, 1(2), 145-157. ABSTRACT This article is based on indigenous research focusing on a group located on the margins of Sámi society. This group is called the Non-Status Sámi referring to their current juridical status. The theme of the study was very sensitive as many conflicting issues concern this group of Sámi-speaking people. This article is based on previous research describing the identification of the non-status Sámi in the Sámi community. The purpose of this article is to discuss how to pay attention to sensitivity in indigenous research and why sensitivity in this specific context is important. According to the results, the construction process of Sámi identity within the boundaries of Sámi society was experienced as problematic. Therefore, sensitivity in researching this group played a salient role. Keywords: Indigenous research, Narrative method, Sámi people, Indigenous identity, Documentary film INTRODUCTION The discourse of indigenous research emphasizes ethical perspectives of indigenous research and researchers’ position and identity (e.g., Trimble, 1977; Whitbeck, 2006). Indigenous peoples have moved toward the new research paradigm from the 1990s. The post colonialist research and decolonization efforts have aimed at helping indigenous peoples to cope with the influence of the colonialist history, hegemonies, and other suffering. Indigenous research paradigms aim at contributing new kinds of perspectives on research by questioning and deconstructing the prevailing values, opinions, and knowledge structures. These research paradigms can provide new methods of analyzing indigenous cultures which, for its part, can diminish the danger of possible misinterpretations. The creation of the indigenous research paradigm is a part of the process of realizing self-determination (Kuokkanen, 2006). In this article, we will discuss how to methodologically approach a sensitive phenomenon in an indigenous context. The purpose is to define the kinds of conditions the sensitive research theme sets for the realization of the research and which methodological factors can benefit sensitive indigenous research (see Christopher, 2005; Ellis, 2013). The indigenous context can be a methodologically challenging field due to various different reasons both at the macro and micro levels. First, the relationship between research and indigenous peoples has been and still is somewhat problematic. In this we refer to the era colored with the western colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, social Darwinism, and cultural racism placing indigenous peoples in a subordinate position through research, knowledge, and power constructed with the first two. Indigenous peoples were seen as research objects that western researchers analyzed often with quite unethical research methods, and finally, took the information to benefit themselves (Battiste, 2000; Smith,