In a world where data is the new currency, the phrase “data is our relative” offers a new perspective. It asks us to see our data not as something to extract, trade, or exploit, but instead as a living relation tied to people, histories, memories, and community responsibilities. This shift in the way we think of data is essential in conversations about Indigenous data sovereignty, digital ethics, and the quickly evolving landscape of technology.
At it’s core, the concept of data as our relative, means data carries relationships. It cannot be separate from the people, places, and memories it carries. Therefore, we must give data the same respect and responsibility we give our traditional values and customs.
Read on to hear the story of how the Chippewas of Rama First Nation used technology to preserve their language and protect their data in a way that honours their traditions and values. This is a story of stewardship, honour and bringing language back home to its people.
For years, our Indigenous data has been treated like raw material. Companies, governments and academics collect it, analyze it, and turn our relative into profit. With this mindset, value comes from extraction. The more data you collect, the more power you have.
The concept of data as our relative challenges that mindset. It suggests that data should be understood and treated through a lens rooted in relations. If our relative data carries the stories of our communities, identities, traditions, health, and lands, then it cannot be disconnected from the communities it represents.
Kinship makes clear that our relative data is not merely information to be used, but part of who we are ...
Living…
Relational…
And deserving of the same care, responsibility, and respect we owe to one another.
The Chippewas of Rama First Nation approached SVS with the dream of preserving their Anishinaabe language online. The goal of their Culture and Heritage Department was to ensure that future generations could listen, learn and celebrate their language.
Our Data and Technology team has supported Rama in digitizing and archiving important stories, documents, and recordings in Anishinaabe to an online platform called Murkurtu.
Mukurtu (prono.unced MOOK-oo-too) is a free, open-source content management system and digital platform specifically designed for Indigenous communities to manage, preserve, and share their cultural heritage. Derived from a Warumungu word meaning "safe keeping place," it allows communities to control access to sensitive digital materials according to their own cultural protocols.
(Source: https://www.mellon.org/grant-story/mukurtu-provides-ethical-tools-for-archiving-and-preservation)
Along with the co-development of a Digital Archive Policy, this project ensures that Rama First Nation has ownership and control over how their language and cultural knowledge are preserved and shared, respecting their unique protocols and Indigenous data sovereignty. Rama is achieving their dream, along with building strong processes and protocols.
Through projects like these, Indigenous communities are working to keep the voices and stories of their ancestors alive and strong. This is what it means to treat your data as your relative.
To begin developing your Nation’s data governance framework, consider the following questions:
These questions remind us that our relative data represents both us and our communities, and that it must not be used by outsiders without permission or consent. Too often, others have benefited from our knowledge and relative Data without ever having the right to take it. Indigenous Data Sovereignty means reclaiming the care and keeping of our relative data in the ways that reflect our values and traditions.
“Data is our relative” is more than a phrase. It is a framework for responsibility and reciprocity in this digital age, where data is often treated as a commodity. It reminds us that information is never truly separate from the people it comes from.
When we treat data with care, we are also treating communities with care.
Taylor Sparklingeyes, BA
Senior Data Sovereignty Specialist
Taylor identifies herself as an Indigenous-Cree woman from Treaty 6 territory. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a Business minor from Concordia University College of Edmonton.
Taylor strongly believes that research involving Indigenous Peoples should be conducted, interpreted, and shared from an Indigenous lens to ensure potential benefits are accessible for the community. She hopes her passion for working with Indigenous Peoples and communities will leave a positive impact on the world for her children and the next seven generations to come.
Learn more about Taylor here.
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