Americas Indigenous Data Sovereignty Pact

Presented By Butt Wiglo

This Movement Is Currently
In The Fundraising Stage.

DATA AS A NEW FRONTIER OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS

Indigenous communities throughout the Americas face critical challenges related to data:

• Research conducted on communities without consent or benefit-sharing • Traditional knowledge exploited through digitization without protection • Environmental monitoring data controlled by external entities • Cultural heritage documented but inaccessible to communities • Demographic and health information gathered but not returned

As data becomes increasingly valuable, indigenous peoples must secure governance rights over information derived from their lands, cultures, and communities.

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THE AMERICAS INDIGENOUS DATA SOVEREIGNTY PACT

Our campaign advocates for a comprehensive hemispheric framework with five core principles:

1. AUTHORITY TO CONTROL
   • Recognition of indigenous communities as data rights-holders • Community-determined protocols for research approval • Veto power over inappropriate data collection • Authority to determine access conditions for existing data • Control over how indigenous data is represented and interpreted

    

2. OWNERSHIP & LICENSING
   • Legal recognition of collective data ownership • Indigenous licenses for cultural knowledge and expressions • Traditional knowledge labeling systems • Equitable benefit-sharing requirements • Protection from unauthorized commercialization

    

3. ACCESS & POSSESSION
   • Requirements to return copies of data to communities • Infrastructure support for indigenous data repositories • Technical capacity building for local data management • Assured access to data about communities regardless of collector • Repatriation protocols for historical data

    

4. RELATIONSHIP-BASED ETHICS
   • Recognition of relational rather than individual consent models • Research frameworks respecting indigenous ways of knowing • Community review processes for findings and publications • Long-term relationship requirements rather than extractive projects • Self-determination in research priorities and methods

    

5. GOVERNANCE & CAPACITY
   • Support for indigenous data governance institutions • Technical infrastructure for sovereign data management • Training programs for indigenous data scientists and stewards • Funding for community-controlled research initiatives • Integration with traditional governance structures

    

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OUR ADVOCACY APPROACH

Working with indigenous data sovereignty experts, traditional knowledge holders, and community leaders from throughout the Americas, we will:

• Engage with the Organization of American States • Advocate within national research funding agencies • Build academic partnerships respecting sovereignty principles • Develop model protocols for data governance • Create a hemispheric network of indigenous data practitioners

Success stories that inspire our work: → Tribal codes governing research in Native American communities → First Nations information governance centers in Canada → Community protocols developed by Amazonian peoples → Indigenous mapping initiatives reclaiming territorial knowledge

“Data about us belongs to us. Our communities must have the authority to determine how information from our lands, cultures, and peoples is collected, accessed, and used.” – Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network

Your support will help indigenous peoples throughout the Americas assert control over an increasingly valuable resource—data about their communities, cultures, and territories.