Conducting Research in Tribal Communities

Tribal Environmental Health Summit 2018

On June 25-26 2018, the Community Engagement Core hosted the third Tribal Environmental Health Summit. The event, which was supported in part by NIEHS, is designed to build a network of Native American and Alaskan Native researchers.

Read a synopsis of the summit here.

All presentations were recorded and available for viewing below.

Manuals and Publications

Tribal Exposure Scenarios

• Columbia Basin Heritage Fish Consumption Rates
• Comparison of Contemporary and Heritage Fish Consumption Rates in the Columbia River Basin
• Human and Ecological Risk Assessment
• Anishnaabeg heritage diet
• Shoshone Bannock Scenario
• Elem (Pomo) Traditional Lifeways Scenario
• Traditional Tribal Subsistence Exposure Scenario and Risk Assessment Guidance Manual
• Washoe Tribe Human Health Risk Assessment Exposure Scenario for the Leviathan Mine Superfund Site Prepared for the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California - Dr. Barbara Harper, DABT AESE, Inc.
• Quapaw Traditional Lifeways Scenario
• Wabanaki Traditional Cultural Lifeways Exposure Scenario
• Exposure Scenario for CTUIR Traditional Subsistence Lifeways, Stuart Harris, CTUIR
• Schure M, Kile ML, Harding AK, Harper B, Harris S, Uesugi S, Goins T. Perceptions of environment and health among community members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.  Environmental Justice. June 2013, 6(3): 115-120. doi:10.1089/env.2013.0022.
• Harper B, Harding A, Harris S, Berger P. Subsistence Exposure Scenarios for Tribal Applications. Human and Ecologiical Risk Assessment. July 2012, 18(4): 810-831 
• Forsberg ND, Stone D, Harding A, Harper B, Harris S, Matzke M, Cardenas A, Waters K, Anderson KA. Effect of Native American fish smoking methods on dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and possible risks to human health. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2012, 60 (27), pp 6899–6906. DOI: 10.1021/jf300978m
• Analyzing Columbian Basin Tribal Foods from College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State
• A response to Delistraty et al. (2010) "Radiological risk from consuming fish and wildlife to Native Americans on the Hanford Site (USA)" (pdf)
• Tribal Rights and Fish Consumption Workshop: Issues and Opportunities for the Pacific Northwest
• Harper, B.L., Harris, S.G. A possible approach for setting a mercury risk-based action level based on tribal fish ingestion rates. Environ Res. 2008 May;107(1):60-8. Epub 2007 Jul 13.
• Harper BL, Flett B, Harris S, Abeyta C, Kirschner F. The Spokane Tribe's multi-pathway subsistence exposure scenario and screening level RME. Risk Anal. 2002 Jun;22(3):513-26.
• Lifestyles, Diets, and Native American Exposure Factors Related to Possible Lead Exposures and Toxicity - Harris and Harper 2001
• Using Eco-Cultural Dependency Webs in Risk Assessment and Characterization of Risks to Tribal Health and Cultures - Harris and Harper, 2000

Environmental Justice / Law

• Indigenous Risk Assessment (video produced in collaboration with Catherine O'Neill, Seattle University School of Law)
• Comparison of Contemporary and Heritage Fish Consumption Rates in the Columbia River Basin
• Columbia Basin Heritage Fish Consumption Rates
• Harding AK, Harper B, Stone D, O’Neill C, Berger P, Harris S, Donatuto J. Conducting research with tribal communities: Sovereignty, ethics, and data-sharing issues. Environ Health Perspect, 2012, 120(1):6-10. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3261947.
• A Method for Tribal Environmental Justice - Harris and Harper 2011
• Indian Tribe Wins Fight to Limit Research of Its DNA - NY times, 4-21-10
• Environmental Justice in Indian Country: Using Equity Assessments to Evaluate Impacts to Trust Resources,Watersheds and Eco-cultural Landscapes
• Tribal Environmental Justice: Vulnerability, Trusteeship, and Equity under NEPA - Harper and Harris, 2011
• Risk Avoidance, Cultural Discrimination, and Environmental Justice for Indigenous Peoples by Catherine O'Neill
• Commentary: Power, rights, respect and data ownership in academic research with indigenous peoples (pdf)
• Guide to American Indian Law Resources (pdf)
• Research Regulation in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities: A Guide to Reviewing Research Studies and Policy and Practice Considerations