Updated: June 2024

The following guide is intended to assist MSU faculty and staff as we foster and facilitate working relationships in Montana Indian Country. It is intended to be much more than a directory; rather, this section sets a tone for true partnerships. MSU-Tribal Community-Based Participatory Partnership respects preferences that are consistently expressed by tribal leadership, tribal colleges and Native communities.

Indigenous Research Standards

  1. The university must operate within priorities and needs that originate from Indian Country.
    At minimum, tribes and tribal colleges expect MSU faculty/staff/students to consult with them sufficiently prior to proposal-writing to ensure that any initiative affecting their communities can be measured against local priorities. Last-minute requests for tribal endorsement will not be favored.  Most tribes and tribal colleges have strategic plans which designate priorities for their communities and programs. Given an opportunity, tribal entities may become proactive in initiating invitations for MSU engagement. 
  2. Native communities’ capacity to determine and execute their own futures is paramount.
    MSU should focus on outreach and research that will enhance, in a lasting way, the tribes’ ability to plan, research, develop and administer their own programs.
  3. Tribal entities are ready for and interested in real partnerships rather than one-way, transactional relationships.
    Representatives of MSU should look for opportunities to work with Indigenous research partners to develop Tribal community-led agreements for articulation, research or service that define respective roles and expectations.
  4. MSU researchers should pursue initiatives that result in durable outcomes - and relationships. 
    Tribes and the university will pursue initiatives that result in durable outcomes – and relationships. While the transient nature of some funding sources is a recognized reality, consideration must always be given to relationships that are dependable and lasting. Tribes and tribal colleges are less interested in short-term commitments characterized by sporadic visits at the convenience of MSU personnel.
  5. Tribal and/or tribal college research regulations require strict compliance.
    Most of the tribes and/or tribal colleges have Institutional Review Boards. MSU researchers must be certain to understand and comply with each tribe’s regulatory process. The MSU Office of Sponsored Programs has information regarding specific Montana tribal IRBs.  In addition, The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council has an approved IRB that may apply when a tribal IRB does not exist or when research involves more than one Montana tribe. 
  6. Tribes and tribal colleges require respect for their intellectual property.
    Ownership of MSU-sponsored research products involving tribal people or resources should be considered and resolved in agreement with tribal authorities before research commences. Matters like data collection, data repository, research publication, etc. must be specified. Joint authorship with Indigenous knowledge holders and/or research partners should be considered whenever possible.
  7. Tribes, tribal colleges and Indigenous-led organizations expect equitable treatment in fiscal matters.
    Whenever possible, MSU grant development – regardless of subject matter – should include Indigenous leadership (faculty, staff, or community-based research partners) so that Tribal perspectives are represented. For initiatives involving Native communities, funding must be equitable, with a 50/50 budgetary split considered minimum. Project leadership should consider whether the lead awardee should be the tribal partner (whether Native nation, tribal college, or Indigenous-led organization), with subaward(s) going to MSU. Finally, most tribes, tribal colleges, and Indigenous-led organizations have approved indirect cost rates that apply to grants that involve tribal participation.