In Canada's Northwest Territories nurses work primarily with and in First Nations' isolated and semi-isolated communities and are expected to practice at an advanced level. Collaboration is one competency standard identified by the Canadian Nurses Association as necessary for advanced practice. The notion that collaboration competency can be understood as a standard by which advanced nursing practice is defined becomes problematic when culture, language, and unique situations surrounding health in northern communities impact on nursing practice. This research explores and describes how northern nurses experience, understand, and engage in collaboration in their practice and endeavors to bring to light the contextual influences that impact collaborative northern nursing practice.