Traditional Custodians as researchers: Experiences of researching with our Mob on our Country, AIATSIS National Indigenous Research Conference 2019

This presentation explores the experiences of Traditional Custodians working as researchers on their own Country and with their own communities. Presented at the AIATSIS National Indigenous Research Conference (2019), it reflects on both the benefits and challenges faced by Indigenous researchers who carry cultural, kinship, and custodial responsibilities alongside academic research roles.Drawing on Indigenous epistemologies and qualitative methods, the presentation discusses how connection to Country, kin, and culture shapes research motivations, ethics, and accountability. It highlights the strengths that Traditional Custodian researchers bring to research—such as cultural authority, trust, transparency, and embedded local knowledge—while also acknowledging practical and structural challenges, including research design pressures, institutional expectations, time constraints, and resource limitations.The presentation further considers methodological approaches commonly used in Indigenous-led research, including yarning, participatory action research, ethnography, and reflexive practice. It situates these methods within a values-based framework that recognises multiple realities and prioritises community benefit, cultural protection, and knowledge transmission.Overall, the work argues that when Traditional Custodians lead or shape research concerning their peoples and Country, the outcomes are more ethically grounded, culturally accountable, and meaningful for communities. It also points to future opportunities for Indigenous student researchers to contribute to a growing body of Traditional Custodian scholarship and to reshape research institutions and practices over time.