Taking care of knowledge, taking care of salmon: towards Indigenous data sovereignty in an era of climate change and cumulative effects
Abstract
Introduction
Term | Definition | References |
---|---|---|
Big data | Data amalgamated from multiple sources to create large-scale datasets to inform solutions to society-wide problems | Open Knowledge Foundation (2022) |
Data | Attributes or properties that represent a series of observations, measurements, or facts that are suitable for communication and application | Smith (2016) |
Data sovereignty | Managing information in a way that is consistent with the laws, practices, and customs of the nation-state in which it is located | Snipp (2016) |
External researchers/scientists | A term we use (along with “non-Indigenous researchers/scientists”) to recognize that Indigenous Peoples are also scientists and researchers and to challenge the tendency to create a false binary between researchers and scientists versus Indigenous Peoples | Schnarch (2004); Younging (2018) |
First Nations | In Canada, the term “First Nations” refers to a group of Peoples who were officially known as Indians under the Indian Act, which does not include Inuit or Métis Peoples. We use the term “First Nations” when speaking specifically to the project and findings we describe in this manuscript, which come from knowledge-holders and/or technical staff employed by Nations located within the colonial borders of what is now known as British Columbia | Vowell (2016) |
Indigenous communities | When we refer to Indigenous communities throughout this manuscript, we are referring to communities in a broader sense (kinship, support, practice) that includes both urban and rural Indigenous Peoples, living within or away from their traditional territories | Peters and Andersen (2014) |
Indigenous data | Any facts, knowledge, or information about an Indigenous Nation and its citizens, lands, resources, cultures, and communities, regardless of who collects it. Information ranging from demographic profiles to education attainment rates, maps of sacred lands, songs, and social media activities, among others | Carroll et al. (2019) |
Indigenous data governance | The act of harnessing tribal cultures, values, principles, and mechanisms—Indigenous ways of knowing and doing—and applying them to the management and control of an Indigenous nation's data ecosystem. The mechanism by which Indigenous Nations can achieve IDS | Carroll et al. (2019) |
Indigenous data sovereignty (IDS) | The right of Indigenous Peoples and Nations to govern the collection, ownership, and application of their own data (whether collected by Indigenous Nations themselves or external data agents), deriving from the inherent right of Indigenous Nations to govern their peoples, lands, and resources. Within international Indigenous rights frameworks, IDS is positioned as a collective right. Unlike the definition of data sovereignty, IDS is not limited by geographic jurisdiction or digital form | Carroll et al. (2019) |
Indigenous knowledge | Knowledge created and/or mobilized by Indigenous Peoples that may include Traditional Ecological Knowledge and scientific knowledge. We recognize that there are multiple distinct Indigenous knowledges, but we use the singular term throughout the manuscript for readability | Berkes (2017); Reid et al. (2022a); TallBear (2014) |
Indigenous Peoples | In the context of this manuscript, we use the term “Indigenous Peoples” when referring to all Indigenous Peoples in Canada (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples) and globally, and when referencing general concepts that apply to across diverse and distinct Indigenous cultures and contexts (such as the term “Indigenous data sovereignty”). According to the United Nations, there are more than 5000 Indigenous groups globally, which represent more than 476 million people living in 90 countries | Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (2020) |
Open data | Data that can be freely used, re-used, and redistributed by anyone—subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike | Open Knowledge Foundation (2022) |
Scientific knowledge | Information that has been gathered and condensed into testable laws and principles through a systematic enterprise | Snively and Corsiglia (2016) |
Tier-1 | First Nations in Canada engage and consult with external agencies and each other on fisheries management via a three-tiered process: Tier-1 discussions occur among First Nations only, while Tier-2 involves Nation-to-Nation discussions between federal Crown agencies and First Nations, and Tier-3 includes the Provincial and Federal Crown governments, First Nations, and third-party stakeholders. The workshop described in this manuscript was a Tier-1 process | The First Nation Panel on Fisheries (2004) |
Traditional ecological knowledge | The culturally and spiritually based ways in which Indigenous Peoples relate to ecosystems, which reflect Indigenous systems of environmental ethics and scientific knowledge about environmental use resulting from generations of interactions | Tsosie (2018) |
Webinar contributors | We refer to the people who attended the webinar as “contributors” instead of “attendees” or “participants” to recognize the active contributions they made to the knowledge shared during the webinar and to the materials produced post-webinar | N/A |
Western science | Scientific knowledge with roots in the philosophy of Ancient Greece and the Renaissance, favouring reductionism and physical law | Brayboy et al. (2012) |
Literature review
Indigenous data, co-management of resources, and knowledge co-creation
Open and big data movements
“The Government of Canada will engage directly with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights holders and stakeholders to explore an approach to reconciliation and open government, in the spirit of building relationships of trust and mutual respect. This commitment has been purposefully designed to allow for significant co-implementation, encouraging First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights holders and stakeholders to define their approaches to engagement on open government issues” (Treasury Board of Canada 2019).
Indigenous data sovereignty in British Columbia and Canada
Indigenous data and salmon
Materials and methods
Positionality and contributions of authors
Webinar
Results
Potential steps for First Nations
Step 1: Determine who is responsible for granting permission for external parties to access data and/or First Nations territories for research.
Step 2: Create steps or policies for external researchers and/or neighbouring Nations for data sharing and/or requesting permission to access data or First Nations territories.
Step 3: Establish a plan for data collection and/or monitoring.
Step 4: Build capacity and secure funding for storing and managing Indigenous data.
Step 5: In the meantime, consider using outside technical tools to help manage data.
Step 6: Create tools that would support data collection, management, and dissemination.
Step 7: Consider additional methods that would help to ensure control and maintain ownership over Indigenous data if necessary.
Recommendations for external researchers
Educate yourself on issues related to Indigenous data sovereignty and come prepared.
Engage with First Nations before planning research or monitoring.
Avoid making assumptions about how data should be managed.
Be transparent about the research goals and how external parties will benefit from the research.
Identify ways to co-create knowledge outputs so that First Nations are involved through all steps in the process (if they agree to participate).
Find ways to redirect funding and resources to First Nations.
Recognize that providing funding does not equal ownership of the data.
Do the heavy lifting to reduce burdens on First Nations.
Provide and support First Nations’ access to technology and/or lab space, along with training for how to use those spaces.
Be prepared to take on some personal risk.
Advocate for changing data governance policies within and beyond organizations or institutions, including the repatriation of existing data.
Discussion questions for research partners
Challenges and learning opportunities
Conclusion: Indigenous data sovereignty and cumulative effects in salmon-bearing watersheds in BC
Acknowledgments
References
Supplementary material
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