Data Ownership & Indigenous Sovereignty

Melissa Stoner, Native American Studies Librarian at UC Berkeley serves as the moderator for this program.

In anticipation of the discussion, the following questions have been posed to our speakers:

At different times and ways Western scientific data standards (like FAIR) have come into direct tension with Indigenous governance and ethics (CARE), discuss what was the compromise or solution?  2) What is being built and developed that can intervene in these spaces, offering new ways to honor Indigenous sovereignty in data and publishing?

What is being built and developed that can intervene in these spaces, offering new ways to honor Indigenous sovereignty in data and publishing? 

Related Information and Shared Resources:

The Human Standard: Equal Library Access for All: Opening Keynote from NISO Plus Baltimore 2024, presentation by Cindy Hohl

Creating digital collections with and for Indigenous communities: Session from NISO Plus 2023, presentation by Oya Y. Rieger, Joy Owango, Cindy Hohl, and Erika Valenti

Bridging Indigenous and Western Sciences (MOTH Sciences in Culture Project with Kichwa de Sarayaku): Indigenous and Western sciences have both made important and distinctive contributions to our collective understanding of the more-than-human world. Now, more than ever, these types of collaborations and the ideas and practices they generate are needed to tackle ecological challenges and protect human and nonhuman life.

Guidelines for the Governance of Indigenous Data in Scientific Publishing: Increasingly, the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance are being applied and operationalized into various phases of the data ecosystem. However, there have been inconsistent practices across the data lifecycle and by data actors. We are convening scholars, publishers, editors, and metadata experts to develop publishing guidelines to better operationalize Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the CARE Principles across the data and research lifecycle.

Open data for people and purpose: GBIF establishes task group on Indigenous data governance: International experts to offer input and guidance for implementing the CARE Principles within the GBIF network

Governance of Indigenous data in open earth systems science: byLydia Jennings, Katherine Jones, Riley Taitingfong, Andrew Martinez, Dominique David-Chavez, Rosanna ʻAnolani Alegado, Adrien Tofighi-Niaki, Julie Maldonado, Bill Thomas, Dennis Dye, Jeff Weber, Katie V. Spellman, Scott Ketchum, Ruth Duerr, Noor Johnson, Jennifer Balch & Stephanie Russo Carroll

IEEE Approved Draft Recommended Practice for Provenance of Indigenous Peoples Data (IEEE 2890-2025): The Recommended Practice for the Provenance of Indigenous Peoples' Data establishes a common set of parameters for the provenance of Indigenous Peoples' data. This Recommended Practice supports appropriate disclosure of Indigenous Peoples' relationships and/or links to all data. Provenance of Indigenous Peoples' Data includes information that facilitates Indigenous Peoples' governance, decision-making, participation, collaboration, and engagement in and for current and future uses of Indigenous Peoples' data.

Recognizing Indigenous Interests: Labeling DSI with Provenance Metadata - Policy Brief: by Jane Anderson, Maui Hudson, Stephany RunningHawk Johnson, and KatieLee Riddle

Indigenous Data Exchange (From the Collaboratory for Indigenous Governance): The Indigenous Data Exchange (IDX) leverages existing IDSov/IDGov networks’ ongoing efforts to advance policy and practice, and create and share tools for the governance of Indigenous data (e.g., implementation of the CARE Principles) across the research data ecosystems.

Living Waters, Law First: Nyikina and Mangala water governance in the Kimberley, Western Australia: by Martuwarra RiverOfLife, Katherine S. Taylor, and Anne Poelina

Indigenous data stewardship stands against extractivist AI (From the University of British Columbia): This is part of an ongoing GenAI op-ed series, Arts Perspectives on AI (Artificial Intelligence), that features student and faculty voices from the UBC Faculty of Arts community.