Affirming tribal sovereignty and self-determination by applying the principles of CBPR in addressing cancer health disparities

As the continent's first societies, American Indian tribes hold their status as sovereign nations, an inherent standing and power of a people to govern themselves. Self-determination policy is ideally a means by which tribes can realize the full potential of their sovereign powers. In the context of Indian policy, self-determination is a tribally-derived term and concept that entails a totality of tribal goals that can be placed in four interrelated categories: tribal self-rule, cultural survival, economic development, and tribal participation within and without the policy-making process. Until recently, much of research implemented within tribal communities has not embodied or affirmed the basic tenets of sovereignty or self-determination policy. However, the applied principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) complement the goals of tribal self-determination and may ultimately contribute to the success of research partnerships with tribal communities to address health disparities. A case study will provide examples of the application of CBPR and its contribution to the successful implementation of research to address cancer health disparities in a tribal community by: addressing a tribally developed research question, selection of a culturally responsive research methodology, provision of cross-cultural education between partnering organizations, community education and training, and the active participation of a community advisory group throughout all phases of the research.