Reflections on Accessing Indigenous Research Settings: Traditional Health Practitioners and Leaders Encounters

Introduction: African researchers are usually trained according to a western paradigm that is often alien to their own culture. In the end, African researchers are also learners in the protocols on how to approach communities. Conducting research in indigenous settings in rural villages, where traditional leaders are the custodians of communities remains a challenge. Traditional health practitioners have to adapt their protocols to the needs of the cultural setting. When gaining access to a setting, researchers have to follow a process that respects the autonomy of individuals, thus adhering to one of the ethical principles of research with human participants.

The purpose of the paper: In this paper, the researchers reflected on gaining access to conduct research with traditional health practitioners and traditional leaders in Vhembe district, South Africa.

Research methods: Researchers reflected on gaining access to an indigenous research setting during two sharing circles. Ten researchers participated in each sharing circle. The meetings had a dual purpose, researchers also discussed a memorandum of understanding for collaborating with traditional leaders and THPs. Sharing circles are ceremonial sacred focus group discussions or group meetings which are done for different purposes including cultural growth, transformation and to build true working relationships amongst researchers. Researchers participated in sharing circles, and identified four reflective themes.

The results of the study: The themes included initiating agreement and rapport, continuous negotiation and compromise, dressing down and ritual performance. Researchers planning to conduct research with traditional health practitioners and traditional leaders should consider these themes in the preparation phase. Researchers from diverse cultural backgrounds shared information, creating an opportunity to learn from each other about how to work with THPs and traditional leaders.

Conclusions: All researchers agreed that mutual respect, responsibility, reciprocity, relationships and redistribution are important factors to be considered when gaining access to traditional settings.