Data governance in the context of Indigenous data involves supporting the data interests, gaps and priorities of Indigenous peoples, in order to enable Indigenous self-determination. [1] Generally, data governance refers to who has ownership, control and access over the use of data. [1] Indigenous data governance requires the data to surround Indigenous peoples and its purpose to reflect Indigenous needs and priorities, rather than omitting Indigenous peoples in the production of Indigenous data. [2]
Indigenous data governance is key in enabling Indigenous self-determinism and rebuilding strong Indigenous nations.[ editorializing ] Oftentimes, Indigenous peoples do not have access to relevant Indigenous data. Currently[ when? ] in Canada, much information on Indigenous peoples are considered government data that fall under Crown copyright, limiting access to relevant data such as archeological sites that are of significance to Indigenous nations. [3] Thus, Indigenous data that lacks strong data governance often misrepresent Indigenous peoples, help inform policies that have discriminatory impacts on Indigenous peoples, and uphold colonial practices. [2]
Indigenous data can include knowledge and information on census, health and other administrative data about Indigenous peoples, information on the environment, non-humans and resources, and information on cultural heritage such as oral histories, clan knowledge and cultural sites. [4] Indigenous data be produced by Indigenous people, governments, other institutions, and corporations. [4] In terms of rebuilding Indigenous nations, Indigenous data can be useful for tribal governments when making decisions about their resources and communities. [5]
Companies and states often have the power in deciding what kind of data is produced and for what purposes. [6] Data sovereignty in the context of Indigenous data is about ensuring that Indigenous people have a say in the data that is produced about them, how this data is shared and the purpose behind sharing the data. [6] Data sovereignty holds significance for Indigenous peoples, as marginalized groups of people, because it allows them to protect their land, cultural heritage and knowledge. [6]
Indigenous data sovereignty has received formal recognition from the United Nations through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). [7] UNDRIP was formed by the United Nations in 2007. [4] UNDRIP provides a universal framework of human rights standards that should be met in relation to Indigenous peoples, in addition to existing human rights standards. [8]
An early framework that addressed the lack of Indigenous peoples authority in the production of Indigenous data was the First Nations principles of OCAP. [9] More recently, The CARE principles of Indigenous data governance have been created by the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA 2019) as a framework for open data initiatives in incorporating Indigenous data sovereignty. [7] The CARE principles are an extension of the FAIR principles of open data, which focus on increasing data sharing and data accessibility devoid of historical context and power dynamics. [10] In contrast to the FAIR principles of open data, the CARE principles are people and purpose oriented rather than data oriented, and are rooted in Indigenous world views. [7] [10]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)