260. Research Involving American Indian Tribes and Communities
Updated June 12, 2026
Research projects conducted on Tribal lands or focused on American Indian communities require special considerations beyond the federal regulations and University policy. Developing meaningful and ethical research with American Indian communities requires that researchers commit to a sustained process of relationship building, cross-cultural learning and respect, and reciprocity. Tribal governments are sovereign nations and therefore have the legal authority to regulate all activities conducted on their lands and with their citizens, including research.
Ensuring adequate protections for research with American Indian communities is especially important given the historical context of unethical research involving such communities, which has sometimes resulted in harms to individual Tribe members as well as to the Tribe as a group. Individual harms have included physical suffering as well as psychological harms, such as self-stigmatization among Tribe members. Group harms have included social effects such as external stigmatization of the Tribal community, as well as economic, legal, and other losses. Of particular significance are previous harms involving documented violations of individual and Tribal privacy, and the ensuing distrust of health and all research among Tribal communities.
Societal Benefit
One key principle that investigators should consider as they develop their research topic is that the results of the study should be beneficial to the Tribe. Research findings should be useful and accessible to participating communities by providing information that contributes to Tribal-specific solutions, greater well-being, or positive policy impact. What is considered beneficial to a Sovereign Nation or Tribal Community must be determined through collaborative consultation, partnership, and engagement with Tribal officials and cannot be only established by the investigator.
Partnerships
Investigators at the University of Nevada, Reno should initially contact the Office of Indigenous Relations to obtain feedback on Tribal cultural relevancy, direction on which Tribal Sovereign Nation to potentially collaborate with, and specific Tribal leadership to contact in that Tribe. Researchers are expected to build relationships that are sincere, enduring, and based on mutual trust and respect. The University’s Tribal Liaison or designee will provide insight on how the tribe would view the research topic and methods, the benefits of the research, what may cause concerns, etc.
Understanding Tribal Culture and Sovereignty
The relationship between Tribal Sovereign Nations and the United States government throughout the last several centuries has been uniquely complex from both a self-determination aspect and constitutional legality standing. In addition, the over 570 federally recognized Tribal Sovereign Nations in the United States have their own individual historical, cultural, and political backgrounds. It is highly encouraged that initial effort be placed into properly understanding Tribal Culture and Sovereignty. Questions regarding this information should be directed to the Office of Indigenous Relations.
Permission and Letters of Support
Each American Indian nation has different procedures for approving external research. When a research activity will occur in a Tribal community, approval for the activity by a Tribal official is necessary. Each Tribe determines for itself the Tribal official who has the authority to approve activity on its land. Sometimes the Tribe will have its own review board, permitting processes, and/or other requirements as established by each Sovereign Nation. All questions regarding how to obtain Letters of Support from Tribes should be directed to the Office of Indigenous Relations. Further, periodical reports and updates will be required as determined by the Office outside the IRB review process
Data Ownership and Study Results
Tribal Nations have unique rights associated with Tribal sovereignty to control how research can be performed within Tribal jurisdiction, including how their data can be collected, used, managed, and stored. While discussing potential projects with Tribes, researchers and Tribal representatives should jointly consider data sharing expectations, including any appropriate limitations on data sharing for secondary research. Proactive and transparent conversations with Tribes about how data will be managed and shared is an important step toward building trust, facilitating mutually beneficial and equitable partnerships, and developing a culturally appropriate research plan. Research agreements should include planned data management and sharing practices.
Researchers are strongly encouraged to communicate information about data sharing plans and future use limitations to research participants in the informed consent process.
It is also important to provide findings back to community stakeholders on an on-going basis.
Federally Funded Tribal Research
The federal regulations for human research protection recognize that each tribe may have its own set of research protections and laws, which may impose more restrictions than the Common Rule. Additionally, single IRB review is not required when it would be contrary to tribal law.
Investigators who intend to conduct NIH funded or supported research to collect and share data from American Indian communities should review the NIH Supplement hyperlink under Other Resources.
Guide to IRB Submissions
When preparing an IRB submission for a research project involving Tribal lands or American Indian communities, please consider the following questions and address the relevant issues throughout the study documents (protocol, consent, recruitment, Tribal approval, etc.).
- Does the proposed research specifically target American Indians as a subject population?
- Do the researchers have prior experience or training in using relevant research methods among American Indian populations and sovereign Native nations?
- Have the researchers obtained feedback from American Indian advisors or collaborators on the research topic, design, methods, and recruitment materials?
- Will the research topic, methods, or results potentially stereotype, stigmatize, or bring negative connotations to American Indian peoples or tribes?
- Will the research topic, methods, or results have a potentially negative impact upon Tribal sovereignty?
- Are there adequate provisions to protect the confidentiality of the participants’ data? In small populations, even basic demographic information can sometimes be used as identifiers.
- Does this research hold out the prospect of direct benefit to the participants or potential benefits to the subject population, Native Americans, or Indigenous peoples generally?
- Have the researchers discussed data ownership, access, and dissemination with the research participants or with individual(s) designated by the community to oversee research?
- Will the proposed research require data sharing as a contingency of funding or publication? If so, the researchers should obtain express permission from the Tribal entity(ies) overseeing the research, and this permission should be included in the documentation of approval.