'ab-Original: Journal of Indigenous Studies and First Nations and First Peoples' Cultures is now in its second year and is gaining wide interest from researchers around the world. In the spirit of forward thinking, original and critical scholarship we again bring you an issue that ranges across issues of importance to Indigenous peoples from Africa to Australia then across the Pacific to North America. I take this opportunity to thank Lorena Sekwan Fontaine for her role as editor in our inaugural year and to introduce Professor Barry Judd as the new member of our editorial team, but certainly not new to the journal as he was part of the founding group and helped set the agenda for its future. Both Lorena and Barry are scholars who include in their practice research with their own communities. Both focus on translating research into applied and tangible outcomes that are useful to the communities with whom they work. It is particularly gratifying to see that, in the same spirit, our contributors are including members of the communities with whom they are conducting research as authors and researchers in their own right. The editors encourage this approach as it is giving voice to people who are often voiceless in scholarly journals. ' (Editorial introduction)