Storytelling is Research; Indigenous Ways of Knowing.

This article focuses on the integration of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a strengths-based change methodology developed by David Cooperrider, with Indigenous ways of knowing through storytelling and oration. It highlights how AI’s narrative and collaborative principles align with Indigenous cultural practices, particularly the role of Elders as knowledge-keepers and the use of stories to preserve tribal values, identity, and history. The author discusses the challenges posed by colonialism in academic research and how AI offers a decolonizing framework that empowers Indigenous researchers and communities to represent themselves authentically. Through examples such as community-driven research in the Jemez Pueblo, AI is shown to facilitate trust, respect, and the continuous evolution of Indigenous knowledge within research and organizational contexts.