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The COVID-19 pandemic that hit not only Malaysia but the whole world has affected the lives of all the world's population, including the indigenous population. This is because COVID-19 has caused a humanitarian crisis when restrictions imposed to control the spread of the virus have impacted society's economic and social sectors. Therefore, this situation causes various challenges that all community leaders, including leaders among the Orang Asli, must carry out during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores the experiences and challenges faced by the chairpersons of the Orang Asli Village Development and Security Committee (JPKKOA) when carrying out their responsibilities as village leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative approach was employed to gather data from nine (9) Temuan female JPKKOA chairpersons using a purposive sampling method. Data was generated from in-depth interviews with the Temuan JPKKOA chairpersons based on semi-structured questions. The analysis data found three (3) challenges they faced during the pandemic, namely changes in village administration and management, weak village administration synergy, and the need to face community concerns related to the issue of COVID-19. These difficulties are critical in translating a circumstance that has never occurred before among the Orang Asli people. Therefore, it is hoped that the study’s findings can contribute to new knowledge about the leadership challenges of Orang Asli women JPKKOA chairpersons during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strongly emerging Indigenous methodologies have attracted researchers to employ diverse research paradigms within a moral commitment to conducting research based on ethical sensitivities and appropriate research protocols, as informed by research work with marginalized and unfamiliar groups including Indigenous Communities. However, adopting Indigenous methodological approaches may raise additional ethical considerations requiring a nuanced examination of what these may entail and competing ethical claims regarding research funding, research processes, outcomes and output. In this article, we draw sociological insights from Bourdieusian theory, as well as feminist epistemology, to explore the ethical implications arising from qualitative research the authors recently completed with Indigenous communities in equatorial Malaysia and Costa Rica, where Indigenous land rights and access issues form the contextualizing and comparative backdrop to the study, with reference to relevant international UN policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]