Jennifer Lavalley is a postdoctoral fellow at the UVic with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement. A queer Nêhiyaw-Saulteaux Métis scholar and member of Piapot First Nation, SK, her research focuses on substance use, harm reduction, resurgence, and decolonial methodologies.

In this presentation, I explore the development of an Indigenous research methodology deeply rooted in my personal decolonization journey and guided by the collective wisdom of Indigenous Peoples who use illicit drugs (IPWUID) in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood who collaborated with me throughout my doctoral work. I enact an ethic of refusal, rejecting colonial and deficit-based narratives that frame Indigenous Peoples, particularly those who use drugs, as "victims" in need of saving. Through my work with IPWUID, I developed a co-created methodology grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and responsive to community needs. Drawing on my experiences as a research coordinator and my personal connections to substance use/rs, this paper addresses the limited use of Indigenous methodologies in substance use research. Guided by Cree law, Sihtoskâtowin—coming together in mutual support—this methodology re-centers my Nêhiyaw (Cree), Saulteaux, and Métis worldview, fostering decolonial love, re-imagined kinship, and cultural resurgence through relational research practices.