Indian country presents even the most seasoned and careful researcher with numerous methodological issues. Two of the most salient of these are appropriate understanding of postcolonial stress in tribal communities, and the use of participatory action research methods and models in a culturally sensitive manner. This paper explains postcolonial stress disorder theory as it applies to tribal people and analyzes other papers on research methodology from this larger monograph within the context of this theory. A model of neurodevelopment is sketched that covers brain development in the child, implications of adequate caregiver behavior for the child's development of self-regulatory capacity, implications of inadequate caregiver behavior (including behavior of caregivers in stress) for development of psychopathology, and compromised behavioral immunity (reduced resiliency). Across the generations, sources of unresolved historical grief and family stress that impacted Native parenting practices and child development included dispossession, disease, loss of spirituality as a coping mechanism, war, physical and sexual child abuse experienced in boarding schools, tribal termination, relocation to cities, poverty, and alcohol abuse as a coping mechanism. Implications of postcolonial stress effects for research with contemporary tribal communities are discussed, and principles for participatory action research in tribal communities are outlined. Use of the postcolonial stress model and terminology in the other presentations is evaluated. (Contains 59 references.) (SV)