In accordance with its institutional mandate, the University of Northern British Columbia has entered into partnerships of various types with both rural and urban Aboriginal communities. This article describes the processes of building partnerships between Aboriginal communities and the University at the levels of both institutions and persons. We argue that the success of these collaborations has been enhanced by overtly participatory methodologies, but recognize that
these methodologies have been constrained by factors outside the collaboration pro­ cess. We suggest that successful participatory partnerships must begin with a pro­ cess of communication where all parties outline their assumptions, limitations, and objectives. Claims by non-First Nations researchers and institutions engaged in participatory processes to be disinterested or simply facilitating the goals of the Aboriginal Nations with whom they work run the risk of continuing colonial rela­tionships rather than eroding such relationships through participatory processes.