From an Indigenous perspective, data is not merely a resource to be extracted, stored, and analyzed. Data represents people, relationships, histories, cultures, lands, and communities. Questions about data are therefore also questions about governance, responsibility, and sovereignty.

For Tribal Nations and First Nations, data sovereignty means that Indigenous peoples have the inherent right to govern the collection, ownership, interpretation, access, and use of data about their communities. Information concerning a Nation should not be controlled exclusively by outside institutions, governments, corporations, or researchers. Just as Nations exercise sovereignty over their lands, cultures, and governance systems, they also have a right to exercise sovereignty over their knowledge. This principle applies on both sides of the US–Canada border.

Frameworks for Exercising Data Sovereignty

Two complementary frameworks help put this right into practice.

OCAP®

OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) was developed by First Nations in Canada and is stewarded by the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC). OCAP® is a registered trademark of the FNIGC.

Ownership. A Nation collectively owns information about its people, culture, and territory, in the same way that an individual owns their personal information.

Control. Nations have the right to control all aspects of research, data collection, management, and use involving their communities, including how data is gathered, interpreted, shared, and applied.

Access. Nations must have access to data about themselves, regardless of where it is stored, and may determine who else can access it and under what conditions.

Possession. Possession is the physical stewardship and custody of data. Ownership establishes rights; possession is the mechanism that protects them.

CARE Principles

The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, developed by the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA), are widely used by Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities in the United States and internationally. CARE stands for Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics.

Collective Benefit. Data ecosystems should be designed so that Indigenous peoples derive tangible benefit from the use of their data.

Authority to Control. Indigenous peoples’ rights and interests in their data must be recognized, and they must be able to govern how it is collected, accessed, and used.

Responsibility. Those working with Indigenous data must show how it is used to support self-determination and collective benefit, and must build the capacity of communities to govern it.

Ethics. Indigenous rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at every stage of the data life cycle.

OCAP® centers governance and custody, while CARE centers benefit and ethics. Together they move data governance from a model of extraction to one of stewardship and reciprocity, keeping communities active decision-makers rather than passive subjects of data collection.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings and Data Sovereignty

Viewed through the Seven Grandfather Teachings, data sovereignty becomes both a governance framework and an ethical responsibility.

Wisdom (Nbwaakaawin)

Knowledge should be managed in ways that strengthen the community and support future generations. Data systems should promote long-term well-being rather than short-term efficiency alone. (CARE: Collective Benefit)

Love (Zaagi’idiwin)

Community data represents real people and relationships, not merely records in a database. Data governance should be grounded in care for individuals, families, and future generations.

Respect (Mnaadendimowin)

Honor Indigenous ownership of cultural knowledge, stories, language, and community information, and respect community-defined governance structures. (OCAP®: Ownership; CARE: Authority to Control)

Bravery (Aakode’ewin)

Challenge historical patterns in which Indigenous data was extracted without consent, context, or reciprocal benefit, and build new systems that share power and authority.

Honesty (Gwekwaadziwin)

Be transparent about who collects data, who has access to it, how it is used, and who benefits from it. (OCAP®: Access; CARE: Responsibility)

Humility (Dbaadendiziwin)

External organizations do not always understand the cultural context and meaning embedded within Indigenous knowledge. Communities are often the most qualified interpreters of their own realities.

Truth (Debwewin)

Authentic understanding emerges when data, lived experience, cultural knowledge, and community voices are brought into relationship with one another. (CARE: Ethics)

Implications for Modern Data Ecosystems

Within a modern data ecosystem, success cannot be measured solely by how much information is integrated or how sophisticated the analytics become. Success must also be measured by whether communities retain agency over their knowledge and whether governance structures reflect their values and priorities.

In the context of initiatives such as MiGreatDataLake, data sovereignty suggests that the system should function not as a centralized repository that extracts knowledge from communities, but as a shared learning ecosystem that respects community governance, supports local decision-making, and enables communities to determine how their information contributes to collective understanding.

A knowledge graph is especially powerful in this regard because it can model not only data, but also:

  • Provenance
  • Stewardship responsibilities
  • Permissions and governance rules
  • Cultural and contextual relationships
  • Community-defined meanings and classifications

Such a system can answer not only What do we know? and How are these things connected?, but also:

  • Whose knowledge is this?
  • Who has responsibility for it?
  • Who can access it?
  • Under what conditions should it be shared?
  • How do OCAP® and CARE apply to its use?

From Data Infrastructure to Self-Determination

Ultimately, Indigenous data sovereignty reminds us that wisdom is not only the ability to derive insights from information. Wisdom includes understanding our responsibilities to the people, communities, lands, and generations connected to that information.

The true value of a data ecosystem lies in its ability to strengthen relationships, support self-determination, and promote collective well-being, not in the volume of data it holds.

When guided by the Seven Grandfather Teachings and informed by OCAP® and CARE, a knowledge infrastructure becomes a framework for responsible stewardship, community empowerment, and shared learning, one in which communities remain sovereign stewards of their own stories and futures.

This post offers a high-level framing. Each Tribal Nation and First Nation sets its own data governance policies and protocols, and those take precedence.

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