Chiya Guff (Tea Talk): Reimagining an Indigenous Conversational Framework through Community-Based Qualitative Research in Nepal

Abstract

Background: Chiya Guff (Tea Talk) is an everyday conversational practice in Nepal through which people build relationships, exchange stories, discuss community concerns, and share knowledge. Yet such culturally embedded practices have rarely been theorized as approaches to qualitative research. This paper conceptualizes Chiya Guff as a potential Indigenous conversational framework for community-based qualitative research in Nepal.

Methods: This conceptual paper uses structured conceptual analysis to examine the philosophical assumptions, ethical commitments, and conversational characteristics of Chiya Guff. It compares these features with established Indigenous methodologies, including Talanoa, Yarning, Kaupapa Māori, and Indigenous Storywork.

Results: The analysis identifies five principles: relational accountability, hospitality, reciprocity, Storytelling and dialogue, and reflexivity. It also proposes a six-stage circular research pathway involving community entry, relationship building, tea-centered conversation, collaborative interpretation, community reflection, and knowledge sharing.

Conclusion: The conceptual analysis suggests that Chiya Guff may become a source of methodological knowledge when an everyday cultural practice is interpreted through local epistemologies, relationships, and ethical responsibilities. The framework remains situated and provisional until empirically tested.

Novelty: The paper contributes a Nepal-based perspective to Indigenous methodological scholarship by theorizing everyday tea-centered conversation as a potential site of qualitative inquiry.