The history of research in Indigenous populations is deeply problematic. Power imbalances have led Non-Indigenous researchers and outside institutions to enter Indigenous communities with their own research agendas and without prior consultation with the people and communities being researched. As a consequence, Indigenous scholars are moving to take control and reclaim ownership of the research that occurs in our communities. This study, conducted by a Pueblo researcher with Pueblo leaders, investigates their definitions of and perspectives on research. Eleven semi-formal interviews were conducted in 2017 with a subset of tribal leaders from the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. Results show that Pueblo leaders define research using action words such as compiling, gathering, or looking for information to determine a cause or to find out more about a situation. Leaders state that research is “inherent to our beings” and gave examples such as “singing to plants,” “knowing when to plant and hunt” and sustaining our cultural ways as Pueblo activities considered research.

In this dissertation, I engaged the doctrine of cultural sovereignty to demonstrate that an operational paradigm of cultural sovereignty exists at Taos Pueblo, a federally-recognized Indian tribe in New Mexico, which was capable of application to contemporary decision-making practices and policy. I turn to the knowledge, history, and principles of my people of the Taos Pueblo for creating such a model. To be clear, I am not advocating for a wholesale return to a pre-European existence. Rather, I am advocating for the development of a culturally-grounded approach to evaluating the various aspects of modernity to determine what to embrace and/or continue to adapt. I produced an evaluative model that answers what is Taos epistemology, ontology, methodology, and axiology (EOMA)? And, what does Taos EOMA mean for Taos sovereignty, self-determination, and self-governance? What is the Taos pedagogy of sovereignty, self-determination, and self-governance? And, third, what is the Taos praxis of sovereignty, self-determination, and self-governance? By constructing a Taos sovereignty model that continues, repatriates, or reclaims our history, tradition, and cultural identity, we are in a better position to integrate and align the Taos way of life and our political sovereignty. My hope is that this model can help not only the Taos people but Pueblo people of New Mexico imagine a collective future that balances modern/contemporary non-Pueblo practices and systems with our own rich traditions and heritage.