Indigenous leadership: A talking-circle dialogue with Cree leaders.

Source: (2010) Dissertation. Doctorate of Philosophy. University of San Diego.

The study of leadership is gaining popularity as evidenced by the increasing number of leadership development programs in both corporate and academic environments. Therefore, the way that leadership is defined becomes important. Unfortunately, the majority of literature on leadership emphasizes a Eurocentric or Western perspective.
This study explored the leadership-related thinking and practices embraced by a First Nations population in Canada: nehiyawak or the Cree people. As the research evolved, the study also ended up exploring both cultural difference with respect to knowledge and knowing and the ethical issues involved with permitting non-native researchers to study native groups. The latter issue arose because of the exploitation that indigenous groups have experienced when working with mainstream-culture researchers. (excerpt)