The authors sought to identify the problems non‐Native American nurse researchers might have in gaining access to Native American cultures. The authors' method was nursing ethnography; several different tribes were observed. Findings revealed five significant categories of barriers to health care: understanding of cultural differences, language barriers, differences in interpersonal communication, historical antipathy I fear of exploitation by Native Americans, and distrust of researcher motivation. The authors make several recommendations for researchers to prepare extensively if they plan to work with Native American