Research Data Management
Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Research involving First Nations, Inuit, Métis or other Indigenous communities must follow specific considerations and protocols about how research data are managed, defined by those communities and in a way that upholds their sovereignty over their information.
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Environmental Governance in Canada [Journal Article]This article by Professor Deborah McGregor (2021), an Anishinaabe scholar from Whitefish River First Nation, discusses the predominant extractive research paradigm of “incorporating” Indigenous knowledge into environmental governance, and the importance of acknowledging the broader colonial, genocidal, and racist context of Western science, before any collaborative Indigenous research takes place.
Principles of Indigenous Data Governance
These principles exist to guide research data management practices that respect Indigenous data sovereignty. Interpretations of these principles must specific to the distinct Indigenous communities, individuals and groups involved.
CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
The following is quoted from the Research Data Alliance International Indigenous Data Sovereignty Interest Group, (September 2019), “CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance,” The Global Indigenous Data Alliance, GIDA-global.org.
- Collective Benefit – “Data ecosystems shall be designed and function in ways that enable Indigenous Peoples to derive benefit from the data...”
- Authority to Control – "Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests in Indigenous data must be recognised and their authority to control such data be empowered..."
- Responsibility – "Those working with Indigenous data have a responsibility to share how those data are used to support Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination and collective benefit..."
- Ethics – “Indigenous Peoples’ rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at all stages of the data life cycle and across the data ecosystem..."
More information about the CARE Principles is available from the Global Indigenous Data Alliance.
The First Nations Principles of OCAP®
The OCAP® Principles of data governance outline how to interact with First Nations data. OCAP® stands for:
- "Ownership refers to the relationship of First Nations to their cultural knowledge, data, and information..."
- "Control affirms that First Nations, their communities, and representative bodies are within their rights to seek control over all aspects of research and information management processes that impact them..."
- "Access refers to the fact that First Nations must have access to information and data about themselves and their communities regardless of where it is held..."
- "Possession is the mechanism by which ownership can be asserted and protected." (The First Nations Principles of OCAP®).
OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC). Certified training in OCAP® is available through the FNIGC's website.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Resources for Indigenous Data Sovereignty
- The First Nations Principles of OCAP® Course
“Fundamentals of OCAP®” is a new online training course developed by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) in partnership with Algonquin College.
Cost: $249 (plus GST/HST).
Registration required. Algonquin College Corporate Training processes all registrations for the course on the 20th of each month. This means if you want to start the course in June, your deadline to register is May 20th.
- Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP™): The Path to First Nations Information GovernanceThe First Nations Information Governance Committee published its first paper on OCAP™ in 2002. Since that time OCAP™ has become ubiquitous. It is the de facto standard for conducting research on First Nations, and has grown beyond research to include the governance of all First Nations information. OCAP™ has been successfully applied in communities across Canada, as communities are increasingly asserting jurisdiction over their own data. Yet there are also many myths and barriers associated with OCAP™. One of the positive by-products of this has been the trademarking of OCAP™ through The First Nations Information Governance Centre. This paper will update the 2002 paper, reviewing the origins and rationale for OCAP™, looking at some successful case studies, and considering where OCAP™ goes from here.
- Barriers and Levers for the Implementation of OCAP™This article discusses the obstacles to and supports for the implementation of the First Nations Principles of OCAP™, specifically in the context of data holdings within Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and the Government of Canada. It cites three types of barriers (legal, knowledge and capacity, and institutional) that obstruct OCAP™ and examines how federal legislation such as the Privacy Act and Access to Information Act undermine these First Nations Principles. It continues by exploring supports available to help operationalize OCAP™, including legal, policy, knowledge and capacity-based levers. It concludes by outlining how ANNDC’s increased knowledge about OCAP™ could help support capacity building in First Nations communities.
- Global Indigenous Data Allience (GIDA): Be FAIR and CARE
Principles for Indigenous data governance. - Memorial University's Research FAQs for Indigenous groups, governments, and NationsA living document, some contents of which is only relevant to Memorial University. Includes responses to important questions including:
- How do I approach a researcher we might be interested in engaging?
- How do we deal with our ownership, access, and control of data?
- How do we hold our own grants?
- What do we do if a researcher is not following protocols? - Memorial University's For researchers: Doing Indigenous research in a good wayA living document containing general recommendations relevant to all researchers and with some information specific to Memorial University.
- Equity for Indigenous Research & Innovation Coordinating Hub (ENRICH)"ENRICH centers Indigenous rights to develop, control and govern Indigenous data [and] responds to the challenges of accelerated production and use of data across government, scientific and innovation platforms which can exacerbate the appropriation of Indigenous knowledge and the alienation of Indigenous Peoples from digitally enabled future. Remembering the past and integrating Indigenous wisdom into our institutional structures creates space for Indigenous communities to become integral members of our global shared future." Learn about ENRICH's Traditional Knowledge Labels, Notices, and more.
