Weaving Culturally Responsive Methodologies: A Braided River Approach to Information Behaviour Research with Māori and Pasifika Visual Artists

Library and Information Science (LIS) research has historically privileged Western epistemologies and methodological norms, often marginalising Indigenous knowledge systems and relational ways of knowing. This research-in-practice paper presents and evaluates a culturally grounded methodological framework enacted within a doctoral study exploring information behaviour, identity, and belonging among Māori and Pasifika visual artists in Aotearoa New Zealand. Guided conceptually by he awa whiria (the Braided River approach), the research weaves together the Kakala Research Framework, Kaupapa Māori Research principles, Talanoa as method–methodology, and grounded theory analysis. Rather than synthesising paradigms into uniformity, the braided framework holds Indigenous methodologies and Western approaches in negotiated tension. Drawing on four extended Talanoa engagements with knowledge contributors (KCs) (i.e. participants) ranging from two to seven hours, alongside ongoing relational dialogue, the paper reflects on recruitment, temporality, scale, and methodological accountability. It argues that Indigenous methodologies expand LIS methodological practice through principles of respect, relationships, and reciprocity, contributing to methodological pluralism within the field.