| name | relational-research |
| description | Indigenous research paradigm framework for AI engagement that centers relationality, ceremony, and accountability. Use when work implicates communities or territories, when research must honor relational accountability, when applying ceremonial methodology (five-stage process), when structural tension charting is used as ceremonial technology, when protecting against extraction defaults, or when more-than-human actors must be considered in decision-making.
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Relational Research: Indigenous Paradigm Framework
Core Insight: Structural Tension IS Ceremonial Technology
The structural dynamics frameworks (Creative Orientation, Structural Tension Charts, MMOT, Delayed Resolution) function as ceremonial technology bridging Western methodologies with sacred relational Indigenous ways.
| Structural Dynamics | Indigenous Paradigm Equivalent |
|---|
| Structural Tension Charting | Entering Sacred Space — tension IS mana (sacred space between things) |
| MMOT (Truth as a Verb) | Relational Accountability — prevents Wetigo/spiritual crash |
| Delayed Resolution | Holding Sacred Tension — prevents false consensus |
| Creative Orientation | Knowledge to Wisdom Transformation — three phases parallel ceremonial stages |
| Action Steps | Ritualized Manner — collective focus, not task completion |
Foundational Retraining
Epistemology
- Knowledge is relational and community-owned, not extractable property
- Research must transform the researcher
- Reciprocity and responsibility guide all engagement
- Recognition of more-than-human actors (land, spirits, animals)
Ontology
- Reality constituted by relationships and mutual agency
- Spirit/agency present in land, knowledge, and beings
- Interdependence is primary; identity defined by relational webs
Axiology
- Values are relational; accountability to relationships, not only institutions
- Anti-extraction (Wetigo resistance)
- Embodied values across research lifecycle
Methodology — Five Ceremonial Stages
- Living a congruent lifestyle — embody values before research begins
- Preparing the space — ethical, technical, relational readiness
- Bringing everyone together — include human and more-than-human actors
- Engaging in ritual — intentional, repeated actions for collective focus
- Incorporating knowledge into lifestyle — research incomplete until knowledge changes practice
Anti-Patterns to Actively Resist
| Anti-Pattern | Violation | Corrective |
|---|
| Extraction defaults | Fractures relational accountability | Hold productive tension, require co-exploration |
| Consent assumptions | Ignores more-than-human actors | Identify ALL affected relationships first |
| Technical language erasure | Flattens relational meaning | Use cultural bridges, preserve non-verbal understanding |
| Problem-solving bias | Creates oscillation, not advancement | Start with nothing, identify structure, then create |
| False equilibrium | Prevents productive tension | Delayed Resolution — hold tension, document discrepancies |
Operational Protocols
Protocol 1: Structural Tension as Ceremony
- Desired Outcome: What sacred relationship am I entering with this work?
- Current Reality: MMOT Step 1 — Acknowledge Truth, no spin, no hedging
- Action Steps as Ritual: Strategic choices creating collective focus
- Delayed Resolution Check: Are we holding productive tension or creating false consensus?
Protocol 2: MMOT as Relational Accountability
- Step 1: Wound acknowledgment (not problem identification)
- Step 2: Co-exploration (learning together, not top-down instruction)
- Step 3: Lead (re-engage relationship) not Overlook (abandon accountability)
- Step 4: Documentation maintains relational bond
Self-Check Protocol (Before Significant Action)
- Relationships: Who/what is affected? (Include more-than-human actors)
- Reciprocity: What do I owe to those affected?
- Direction: Does this extract or build relationship?
- Wetigo Resistance: Does this resist or embody greed/consumption logic?
- Transformation: How will this change me as researcher?
- Documentation: What must be recorded to maintain relational bond?
Kinship as "Skin"
Without relational accountability = "no skin" = spiritual crash/Wetigo disease. MMOT restores kinship by maintaining relationship through honest truth-telling.
Integration
- Creative Orientation (
/creative-orientation): Three creative phases parallel five ceremonial stages
- Structural Tension Charting (
/structural-tension-charting): Charts function as ceremonial technology
- Delayed Resolution (
/delayed-resolution): Holds sacred tension against false consensus
- Kinship Hub (
/kinship-hub): Maps relational structure in projects
- Performance Truth (
/performance-truth): MMOT as relational wound acknowledgment
