
Based in Ohswé:ken (Six Nations of the Grand River,) Atfield’s project works to indigenize research methodologies through community inclusion, focusing on the strengths of each participant and how they work together. "My work acknowledges that there are no ’experts,’ rather we all’have knowledge we can share, and in this way, we are decentring colonial interpretation," she says.

"It’s important to be up front and honest about who I am and what we are doing," says Atfield about her relational approach. "Although I am a member of the community, I am also entering the space as a researcher so it’s important to prioritize making space for community members. There is still a lingering distrust because of the kind of academic extraction that’s happened in the past - so building trust is important."

The research happens through community storytelling circles and crafting workshops, such as hide tanning and basket making. Importantly, these engagements also constitute the research outputs, recorded specifically for community use.

This is the authoritative narrative Atfield seeks to decolonize. "My goal isn’t to interpret. My goal is to look together as a community at the way that we did and do things in Hodinohso:ni communities. It’s very much a group discussion about how our history interacts with the present, and how we might take it into the future. A lot of different and surprising perspectives emerge that you wouldn’t get using colonial expert-based approaches."