Towards culturally responsive ethical research: insights from an in-depth study of the Indigenous Maasai community in Monduli, Tanzania

Drawing on my research experience, this article critically reflects on navigating four ethical issues: informed consent , confidentiality and anonymity , giving back , and participants’ payment using culturally responsive ethical approaches among Maasai (an Indigenous ethnic group native to northern Tanzania and southern Kenya) pastoralists in Monduli, Tanzania. The article posits that culturally responsive ethical research requires reconciling conventional ethical standards with the distinct ethical protocols of Indigenous communities. This reconciliation can be achieved through a harmonious coexistence approach that aligns institutional ethical guidelines with local cultural values, knowledge systems, and worldviews. Researchers must exercise cultural sensitivity and reflexivity, remaining attuned to Indigenous ethical values while critically examining how their own identities, positions, and power dynamics shape research relationships. The article concludes by emphasising the need for a harmonious coexistence approach that integrates cultural sensitivity and reflexivity to uphold both institutional ethical standards and culturally grounded ethical practices in Indigenous research.