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For generations, Indigenous communities didn’t have full control over their data. However, there’s now been a push for them to reclaim ownership of it.
Led by Indigenous academics, new networks are advocating for these nations to define their own data governance models and assert authority over how information about their people, lands, and resources is managed.
Historically, American Indian and Alaska Native people had very little say in how their data is collected, stored, and what it’s used for.
Ever since colonial times, any research conducted in tribal communities has benefited outside institutions. This dynamic not only stripped Indigenous communities of agency but also led to misrepresentation, misuse of information, and long-lasting mistrust of data-related efforts.
Now, things are beginning to change. Tribes are ensuring that any data involving their people, land, and culture is controlled by the community it represents.
Indigenous people are stepping into the digital world with increasing authority. Not only do they play a bigger role in terms of governance, but also as economic and cultural innovators. For example, they’re running online casinos that act as major sources of revenue and employment.
More and more players are turning to tribal and offshore casinos due to the numerous benefits they offer. This includes generous bonuses, fast transactions, and a user-friendly overall gaming experience. For tribal nations, these platforms generate vast amounts of financial data that they have full control over. They’re using their own data stacks, analytics tools, and compliance systems to ensure this information stays within their control.
These same practices are being used in other fields like healthcare, education, land management, and cultural preservation. Whether it’s managing health records through tribally owned clinics or overseeing data tied to treaty lands, tribes now have full ownership of their data.
By controlling their information this way, Indigenous nations aren’t only protecting their communities but also advocating more effectively for funding, resources, and policy changes.
In recent years, there has been an increased effort to create more successful models for Indigenous data governance.
Krystal Tsosie co-founded the Native BioData Consortium, which is the first Indigenous-led biobank in the U.S. Its focus is on genomic and data sovereignty, advocating for tribal nations to have full control over their information. It also provides technical assistance and training for tribal health facilities.
Through a partnership with Stanford University, the consortium was recently awarded a $9 million fund to advance Indigenous-led health research and strengthen tribal health data infrastructure.
Alaska also has its Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) which manages data and all sensitive information belonging to tribes. It ensures all their data is handled in compliance with federal regulations and involves them in health decision-making.
As mentioned above, it was external institutions that historically held control over data concerning Indigenous people. This meant that their information was often collected without consent, used for purposes that didn’t benefit their communities, and interpreted through frameworks lacking cultural understanding.
Research was frequently conducted to serve government agendas, academic interests, or corporate goals.
Perhaps the best example of this was the misuse of DNA samples from the Havasupai tribe. The data on their people collected in the 1990s for genetic studies of Type II Diabetes was later used, without their permission, for unrelated research on topics such as mental illness.
Not only did this violate the trust of the tribe, but it also exposed the deep ethical gaps in how institutions handle Indigenous data.
While tribal nations are now retaking control over their data, it’s not to say that the process doesn’t come with its own challenges.
Limited broadband access in rural and remote areas makes it more difficult for some tribal nations to build and maintain reliable digital infrastructure. This significantly hampers their efforts to build their own data centers and implement cloud-based solutions.
Tribes also have insufficient funding for IT infrastructure and staff, which results in gaps in technical expertise for data management and security.
A potential workaround is to work with external partners, but even this slows down the process and compromises data sovereignty.
Further complications involve overlapping layers of federal, state, and tribal regulations that involve how data is collected and stored. This makes it more difficult for tribes to fully enforce their own data policies, especially when third-party vendors are involved in the process.
As data policies continue to evolve, there’s a need for clear and ethical frameworks regarding tribal data. Their ownership and control over that information are essential to ensure the data serves tribal interests and respects sovereignty.