Braided Rivers
Definition
Braided Rivers refers to a research paradigm that combines Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, Western and Indigenous theoretical perspectives, and inductive and deductive methodological techniques within a single program of inquiry. The framework was applied in work with Māori, the Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa/New Zealand, to elicit Indigenous conceptualizations of multiculturalism in a post-colonial settler society context. It is designed to produce mixed methods data that can speak to questions acculturation science has historically left unanswered, particularly those concerning involuntary intercultural contact on Native lands.
Sources: Ward et al. (2025)
Related Terms
- acculturation (1 shared article)
- multiculturalism (1 shared article)
- Indigenous (1 shared article)
- Māori (1 shared article)
- decolonialization (1 shared article)
Applications
Braided Rivers and Indigenizing Acculturation Science
The Braided Rivers paradigm was adopted specifically to take steps toward indigenizing acculturation science by centering Māori voices in research on multiculturalism. Findings generated through this framework revealed that defining features of multiculturalism in acculturation science overlap only partially with Indigenous perspectives, and that historical and political issues tied to colonization must be addressed before multicultural policies can genuinely benefit Indigenous Peoples.
Sources: Ward et al. (2025)
Braided Rivers and Multiculturalism
The Braided Rivers framework was used to examine what multiculturalism means to Māori and how it is experienced in everyday life, given that conventional acculturation research on multiculturalism has focused almost exclusively on immigrants and their descendants. Māori perspectives gathered through this approach indicate that a successful multicultural society must be grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and that multicultural policies must not override the bicultural partnership and Indigenous priorities that the Treaty establishes.
Sources: Ward et al. (2025)
