Engaging Native Americans in Genomics Research

Native North American groups have rarely been included in population-based genetic studies (Need and Goldstein 2009; Reich et al. 2012).3 The tumultuous history of interactions between scientists and the indigenous peoples of the Americas has likely contributed to the dearth of genomic data on Native North American peoples. For instance, researchers who have taken blood samples in indigenous communities have often not returned to report and explain research results (Wichwar 2004). This exploitation of indigenous community members has created a mistrust of scientists (Schroeder et al. 2006) that leads many Native Americans to refuse to participate in genetic studies. Genomic scientists have reacted to indigenous mistrust by using methods that favor statistical workarounds (Wall et al. 2011) or convenience sampling rather than making the necessary effort to develop strong collaborative relationships with indigenous communities. As a result, the little genetic data that has been collected from Native American communities has not been very informative. Overall, Native Americans have opted out or have been left out of major genomic efforts to understand human genetic diversity from populations worldwide such as the International HapMap Project and the 1000 Genomes Project.