Cultural Issues in Genetic Research with American Indian and Alaskan Native People

When seeking to conduct research with native communities, researchers must be attentive to special political, cultural, and religious issues that are associated with these communities if they expect their studies to go forward. Some native communities describe themselves as just a hairsbreath away from shutting down all genetic research where they have the jurisdication to do so. Other Native American Indian / Alaska Native persons, especially those with a medical or scientific background, see great potential in genetic research for health benefits for their communities, but acknowledge that serious problems with the conduct of research make tribes appropriately wary of new proposals