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but my perspective is from the inside, as I am a Kawaiisu

descendant.

Insider Research

One advantage to insider research is that distrust and

hostility toward the researcher are sometimes diffused

(Zinn, 1979). The fact that I am an insider made

interviewees feel at ease to talk about some sensitive

family issues. Another researcher, if they could acquire

such information, might be inclined to use it if it seemed

relevant. I feel a responsibility to protect their privacy

and would therefore not reveal sensitive family issues. It

was clear to me that I was not seen by them as a researcher,

but as a granddaughter, niece, cousin, daughter of a family

friend, etc. Moreover, I was not sure that I wanted them to

see me as a researcher because of sterile connotations that

the role of a researcher evokes.

When I first began asking family members about their

lives, I worried about how I was going to be a "good" social

scientist and remain objective. There were some stories

that I had heard and many that I hadn't. Various memories

returned to me when I listened to their stories. Throughout

the interviews and our casual conversations that followed, I

felt a mixture of pride in the unique history of my family

and the strength and persistence of our ancestors to adapt

and survive despite many hardships. I also felt nostalgic

for times past and people long gone. I wondered how I could