Indigenous scientists are fighting to protect their data — and their culture

Every month, a group of local scientists from around the world meet in Zoom. He never has a agenda. They meet as colleagues to capture and pamper the difficulties of being indigenous in the Western Academy.

However, February meetings quickly hit a different tone.

Max Liboiron, a professor at the University of Memorial, Newfoundland, remembered that “this has become Cascade,” which hosts virtual calls. “It was like everyone else in the United States,”Holy shit. My career is over. My students’ financing sucks. ”

Liboiron immediately entered the triaj mode. Libboiron, a geography and university manager by trade, was organized with Occupy Wall Street. “I was a full -time activist,” they said. While the short hair and upper arms are beaten, it is not difficult to imagine Liboiron’s past life. Red River Métis, the indigenous peoples of the country provinces of Canada, and they speak both cool and calculated sincerity.

Since Donald Trump entered the office, Liboiron has used to support US colleagues who will use these rapid response skills. US Federal Law KNOWS Many tribal countries as dominant political assets, not racial or ethnic groups, but this did not stop Trump Sweeping indigenous peoples Diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) attacks. From Alaska to New England, domestic researchers – and communities they serve – they lose access to dollars for critical science that can help them in the changing temperatures of the planet. They are worried that their research – usually contains ancient cultural information – may be the next.

As a result, the United States and Canada have a bad history about domestic rights. Theft for centuries, genocide and ongoing pressure“This begins in 1492, Libo said Liboiron. Domestic communities are concerned that the government can armed their data against them, and use it to justify the supervision of their activities or the removal of valuable resources in their territory.

Explaining the discussions about domestic data sovereignty in the 90s, Lboiron said, “We must have more control about how the settlement state represents us in the data and that they collect data about us”. “Movement comes out of the idea of ​​bad management with bad data practices from the state.”

Technology billionaire Elon Musk has a new level of uncertainty because it invades mysterious sensitive federal data.

“There is an unknown relationship between Musk’s touch and our data, Li Liboiron said.

After the disturbing February discussion, Liboiron sent a survey to evaluate everyone’s needs: “The servers immediately took part in this list.”

These servers are warehouses for something digital, including research. Liboiron and this group part of a decimal movement Domestic data sovereignty and governancedefending their rights in determining who has reached, manages and owns the information of indigenous peoples. Data can include everything from environmental DNA to oral voice recordings. They are usually sensitive. Indigenous peoples do not want this information to fall into the wrong hands – or worse, completely disappeared – the federal government seems to be less allied every day. Under the first Trump presidency, scientists were only worried about federal data, but the behavior in the second period was not similar.

“The rule of law and governance, judicial powers and laws are no longer valid, Li Liboircoron said. “Even if your data is not kept by the federal government or financed by the federal government, it is very clear that different parts of the federal government can reach and intervene almost everywhere.”

A possible solution has already emerged: special servers in foreign countries.

Thanks to Indigelab network Liboiron Coderects, members have determined at least three locations in Canada where domestic data can be safely stored. While the researchers ended access to new servers, they turned to cloud storage using such providers. CRYPTPADFrench -based alternative to Google documents and SynchronizeA Canadian -based alternative to Dropbox.

Liboiron said, ım I went to the fact that it is basically protesting and remaining safe from the same techniques to activate it with the same techniques, L

A ally, Angie Saltman, the citizen and founder and president of Alberta’s Métis Nation SaltmediaA Canadian -based technology company with its own data center. Saltmedia and sister company, HorizonsWork with a series of customers, including private industry, government, first nations and non -profit organizations and non -profit organizations. Saltman thinks of customer relationships similar to a landlord and tenant.

“We’ll look at the house, but we usually set up our team in a way that doesn’t crawl at home,” he explained.

Meanwhile, large technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta in the United States can crawl everything they want. They have long been collaborating with law enforcement officers to deliver the special data of users. Recently, they are aligning themselves with Trump through donations and internal policy changes.

Data storage is not everything

Domestic data sovereignty ultimately descends deeper than servers and technology. This is about giving the cultures and autonomy of indigenous peoples, recognizing the minds of indigenous peoples and educating the next generation in order to continue this heritage.

“Native people have always been data experts, Rile said Riley Taitingfong, a post -doctoral researcher. Who is Chamorro. It points to the historical Marshalese Stick lists, Made of coconut strips and cowrie shellsHe would safely record his ancestors, sea data and journey. The indigenous peoples in the US regions such as Guam, Porto Rico and the US Virgin Islands face unique challenges around domestic data sovereignty due to their lack of federal recognition.

This movement is also related to the trust between the researchers and the communities they serve, as well as indigenous peoples and federal government. However, trust is not built overnight.

“You should take into account everything you do as an institution and at the same time as an individual,” he said. Care Principles He guides speeches about domestic data sovereignty. “Even as an indigenous individual, you should take into account how your mind is colonized.”

At the University of Memorial, a liboiron contract template Among the university and domestic communities in 2019, the language cements owned by domestic partners and benefiting from a certain research project. Similarly, Mainine University signed a memorandum of comprehension with its researchers of Wabanaki countries, which it regularly cooperate with.

Carroll, who is a citizen of the local Klluti-Kaah village in Alaska, said, “The solutions are not only digital technology solutions,” he said. “We are talking about real changes in ruling and real changes in authority and real relationships.”

Relationship Progress Progress: According to Karina Walters, Director of NIH Tribal Health Research Office, the Trump Administration did not prevent national health institutes from concluding a policy that would require federal researchers to get permission to access their data in their databases. However, in other parts of the federal government, domestic leaders lose their contacts while firing the Trump administration personnel. Now, defenders are increasingly looking for governments with more and more health and environmental data.

Climate crisis adds urgency

In Washington, for example, recently Tulalip tribes and Ministry of Health signed An agreement-state of an agreement-state that allows tribes to directly access laboratory reports and disease updates that will help protect the welfare of their communities. Since climate change contributes to more public health emergencies, local peoples urgently access data from air satellites, medical plants and non -human relatives such as salmon and Alewives.

As a result, each domestic community is different, but a common issue unites them: connections to the world and the flora and faunaya they share. In many cultures, animals are seen as relatives of plants, waterways and cosmos.

“The health of the soil is the health of the people,” he said. Seven directionsThe University of Native Public Health at the University of Washington. He is the grandson of Peru’s Andean.

At the University of Mainine, Darren Ranco, a Professor of Anthropology, a citizen of Penobscot Nation, completed a project in December where his team collected sound recordings from the wabanaki information holders (the elderly, which covers with maintenance to protect and share local information). Researchers analyzed oral dates and cultural expertise as well as climate change data such as rainfall patterns and air and water temperatures to determine previous adaptation strategies that could help respond to existing climate effects.

“The data was related to tribal perspectives on past, current and future environmental and climate change, Ran said Ranco. “This is for the first time to adapt to a changing climate.”

During the research, the team published all information to the tribes instead of following the standard protocol of deleting human subject data after the project was completed, but after the project was completed. Now, the relevant communities can access information as long as they want without having to get permission or jump from circles.

Data Warriors Laboratory and UCLA Sociology Professor General Manager Desi Small-Rodriguez prepares a tribal law to protect their ancestors and works with his leaders in Northern Cheyenne Nation to completely eliminate these circles. Hope, pass this year later. Currently, tribal leaders are struggling to access the necessary information about fishing, air and water quality. In some cases, the government is already collecting this data. The tribes do not come in.

“How do we get the data already there? Small-Rodriguez said. “We are moving to understand how we use the White Man to protect the Cheyenne data.”

Small-Rodriguez is currently worried about who runs the US Federal government. With the cultural knowledge of his people, he cannot trust Trump – and certainly not musk. The US and beyond rely on indigenous relatives. In March, the US visited the Māori peers inviting him to New Zealand to cooperate in the crisis of domestic researchers. In April, Small-Rodriguez is a Global Domestic Data Management conference.

Iz We are very determined to develop and nurture our international domestic relations because there are many things to learn and share with each other, ”he said. “What a good thing. It makes me cry to think that we have local colleagues and relatives in the world,”We see you and we want to help you.“”