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Published Jun 5, 2024

Indigenous Nations Are Fighting To Take Back Their Data

This episode delves into the imperative movement for Indigenous data sovereignty, revealing how Indigenous communities are striving to reclaim control over their data as a parallel to overcoming colonial exploitation, with insights from Stephanie Carroll and Krystal Tsosie on modern efforts and the pivotal role of equitable research practices.
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  • Historical Injustices

    The history of research on Indigenous communities in the United States is marred by exploitation and power imbalances. highlights unethical practices such as the iodine experiments in Alaska and the misuse of genetic data without consent 1. describes this as a new frontier of data theft, akin to historical land and resource exploitation 2.

    As we saw settler colonial movement across the country and taking of land and taking of people. Today we're taking of data. This is the new quote unquote frontier.

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    These practices have led to lasting mistrust and harm, underscoring the need for Indigenous data sovereignty.

       

    Modern Efforts

    Modern efforts for Indigenous data sovereignty are gaining momentum, with initiatives like the Indigenous Data Sovereignty Summit organized by 3. emphasizes the importance of Indigenous-led research, where data is managed by Indigenous communities themselves 4.

    It's all about thinking about data as the resource that it is. A lot of our natural resources, like our lands and our waters, have been stripped from us, but data is something that we can return back to the people.

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    These efforts aim to ensure that data governance aligns with Indigenous values and benefits their communities.

       

    COVID-19 Impact

    The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for Indigenous control over health data. notes that during the pandemic, Indigenous communities faced challenges in accessing critical data, which was often more accessible to external entities 5. This lack of control led to harmful practices, such as racial profiling in healthcare settings 6.

    Journalists and corporate entities having easier access to the data about indigenous communities than indigenous communities had themselves.

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    Such incidents underscore the necessity for Indigenous data sovereignty to protect communities and ensure equitable treatment.

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