
Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Collective Rights & Responsibility
01/15/25 • 71 min
1 Listener
Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Collective Rights & Responsibility features Dr. Tahu Kukutai (Māori) and Dr.Dr. Desi Small-Rodriguez (Northern Cheyenne and Chicana), with commentary from Dr. Keolu Fox (Kanaka Maoli), in a detailed exploration of the question: What is Indigenous data sovereignty, and what does it truly mean for Indigenous Peoples?
Mega corporations now trade data as their primary currency, and while subversive, our Indigenous relatives recognize the extreme consequences and harm that comes from losing control of our stories, and therefore our data. As every action leaves a digital footprint, opting out is not a feasible choice. Around the world, Native communities are addressing these extractive systems, resisting their impacts, and fighting the good fight to create tangible systems to exercise sovereignty and protect Indigenous peoples, lands, and communities.
Dr. Dr. Des and Dr. Tahu remind us that the concept of “individual” data is an illusion. The decisions we make in digital space carry real consequences– not only for ourselves, but also for the land and our communities. For those of us who aren’t data scientists or daily activist warriors, this conversation serves as a grounding reminder that we are still part of this fight. Our understanding and ability to discuss these ideas create ripple effects that contribute to the broader movement.
From discussing tangible steps to assert our true Tribal sovereignty and self-determination by bringing data servers to Tribal lands, to fighting for law and legislation about accessing existing Indigenous data controlled by the states and governments, or to exploring ways we can use our existing Indigenous frameworks and protocols to humanize the data into stories that are accessible and relevant to our communities, this conversation elevates the realities of the Indigenous data sovereignty revolution and its impacts on our collective contemporary survival.
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Editing & All the things by Teo Shantz
Episode artwork by Ciara Sana
Film work by Francisco Sánchez
Follow us on Instagam @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Collective Rights & Responsibility features Dr. Tahu Kukutai (Māori) and Dr.Dr. Desi Small-Rodriguez (Northern Cheyenne and Chicana), with commentary from Dr. Keolu Fox (Kanaka Maoli), in a detailed exploration of the question: What is Indigenous data sovereignty, and what does it truly mean for Indigenous Peoples?
Mega corporations now trade data as their primary currency, and while subversive, our Indigenous relatives recognize the extreme consequences and harm that comes from losing control of our stories, and therefore our data. As every action leaves a digital footprint, opting out is not a feasible choice. Around the world, Native communities are addressing these extractive systems, resisting their impacts, and fighting the good fight to create tangible systems to exercise sovereignty and protect Indigenous peoples, lands, and communities.
Dr. Dr. Des and Dr. Tahu remind us that the concept of “individual” data is an illusion. The decisions we make in digital space carry real consequences– not only for ourselves, but also for the land and our communities. For those of us who aren’t data scientists or daily activist warriors, this conversation serves as a grounding reminder that we are still part of this fight. Our understanding and ability to discuss these ideas create ripple effects that contribute to the broader movement.
From discussing tangible steps to assert our true Tribal sovereignty and self-determination by bringing data servers to Tribal lands, to fighting for law and legislation about accessing existing Indigenous data controlled by the states and governments, or to exploring ways we can use our existing Indigenous frameworks and protocols to humanize the data into stories that are accessible and relevant to our communities, this conversation elevates the realities of the Indigenous data sovereignty revolution and its impacts on our collective contemporary survival.
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Editing & All the things by Teo Shantz
Episode artwork by Ciara Sana
Film work by Francisco Sánchez
Follow us on Instagam @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.
Previous Episode

Reproductive Justice: Birthing The Next 7 Generations
Reproductive Justice: Birthing The Next 7 Generations
In this episode, we sit down with Camie Jae Goldhammer (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyaté), BirthKeeper, Reproductive Justice advocate, and founder of Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services, to define, discuss, and explore how Indigenous birthing practices, breastfeeding, and community care intertwines to combat colonial and capitalist systems of oppression that disproportionately affect Indigenous, Black, and, Brown people.
The maternal mortality rate of American Indian and Alaska Natives is 8 times higher than white Americans, with 80% of deaths being preventable. Before Hummingbird was founded, there were no resources in the Pacific Northwest specifically for Native parents and families. Camie shares her own birth journey and how it led to her career serving over 3,000 Native moms and parents.
This conversation with Camie is a love letter to Native mommas, parents, and communities as she shares her wisdom as an Indigenous Lactation Consultant and Full Spectrum Doula, having co-created the first and only lactation counselor training created for Native people by Native people. Hummingbird’s mission is to have healthy Indigenous babies being born into healthy Indigenous families being supported by healthy Indigenous communities. Our Indigenous reproductive justice is healing not only the future generations but also the ones that have come before us.
This conversation is especially close to our hearts at All My Relations as Matika’s baby #2 is on the way, and resources like Hummingbird Family Services are so crucial to the reclamation of our birthing stories and practices.
Tune in for an unforgettable episode on reclaiming Indigenous birthing practices and reproductive justice .
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Episode artwork by Ciara Sana & Matika Wilbur
Editing by Teo Shantz
Films by Francisco Sánchez
Follow us on Instagam @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.
Next Episode

Sacred Promises: Truth and Treaty
In this deeply insightful episode, we are joined by Professor Robert A. Williams Jr. (Lumbee), a distinguished legal scholar and advocate for Indigenous rights, to explore the enduring significance of treaties, how they impact both Native and non-Natives, and why it is crucial we continue to talk about and teach our treaties to future generations.
Professor Williams guides us through the profound ways treaties represent commitments under both local and international law, and ground us in the sacred responsibilities we hold to one another and the land. January 22nd is Treaty Day in Washington State so we want to take space to honor our ancestors for the protections they secured, safeguarding our rights to self-determination, and remind each other that the treaties they fought for continue to have great significance in Tribal sovereignty today.
This conversation with Professor Williams is a powerful reminder that treaties are sacred and we are part of a generational commitment to being in good relation.
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You can find more of Professor William Jr.'s work at https://law.arizona.edu/academics/programs/indigenous-peoples-law-policy
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Additional resources to learn more about treaties:
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)
News Articles:
Understanding the importance of the Point Elliott Treaty - Salish Current
Native Values Impacting Treaty Making | Teacher Resource - National Museum of the American Indian
A Nation of Treaties - National Endowment for the Humanities
Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations | NMAI Magazine
Since Time Immorial Curriculum Treaty Resources
Media:
Films about Treaty Day by Children of The Setting Sun
What If The U.S. Honored Its Native Treaties?
Read the treaties:
How to Find Treaties, National Indian Law Library
Read the Treaty of Point Elliot, January 22, 1855
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Credits:
Editing and production by T
Follow us on Instagam @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon. Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now! T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.
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