Indigenous Data Sovereignty Working Group
Overview
The Indigenous Data Sovereignty Working Group aims to bring together people who are interested in working towards greater community understanding of the unique qualities of Indigenous biodiversity data, the complexities of mobilizing these data, and the benefits of working together to respectfully use these data to address critical environmental and societal issues. This group recognizes the desire and need to learn from each other and to build long-term relationships that evolve as we gain knowledge and perspective. Through working group activities, our purpose is to bridge the gap between current “best practices” within the natural history collections community and stakeholders in tribal communities.
Goals
The initial goals of this Working Group include organizing listening sessions and workshops focused on understanding Indigenous perspectives, discussing the advantages and limitations of digitizing biodiversity collections, and learning about the best steps forward for mutual benefit. Through these activities we intend to build connections within the Working Group, as well as among the various organizations and initiatives that we represent, that grow deeper over time.
Inaugural Organizing Members
- Warren Cardinal-McTeague (University of British Columbia)
- Libby Ellwood (iDigBio)
- Maribeth Latvis (South Dakato State University)
- Gil Nelson (iDigBio)
- Jyotsna Pandey (AIBS, NSCA)
- Breda Zimkus (MCZ, Harvard University)