Core and Guiding Principles
Indigenous data principles are sets of data practices that are meant to protect, strengthen, and empower Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance.
Principles of OCAP®
The OCAP® principles are a set of standards to guide Indigenous data governance. OCAP® stands for ownership, control, access and possession.
FAIR Principles
The FAIR principles encompass three key entities: data, metadata (information about data), and infrastructure. They guide researchers in ensuring that data are effectively managed and made available for broader use.
- Findable: The first step is ensuring data can be easily found by both humans and computers. This involves assigning globally unique and persistent identifiers to data, describing data with rich metadata, including data identifiers in metadata, and registering or indexing data in searchable resources.
- Accessible: Once data is found, users need to know how to access it, potentially involving authentication and authorization. Data should be retrievable by their identifier using a standardized, open, and universally implementable communications protocol. Metadata should remain accessible even when the data is no longer available.
- Interoperable: Data often need to be integrated with other data and must be able to interoperate with various applications and workflows. This requires using formal, shared, and broadly applicable languages for knowledge representation, employing vocabularies adhering to FAIR principles, and including qualified references to other data.
- Reusable: The ultimate goal is to optimize data reuse. To achieve this, data and metadata should be well-described, have clear and accessible usage licenses, be associated with detailed provenance information, and meet relevant community standards.
CARE Principles
The CARE Principles are people and purpose-oriented, guiding the use of Indigenous data and reflecting the crucial role of data to Indigenous self-determination.[1]
- Collective Benefit: Indigenous Peoples should benefit from the usability of their data, and the research should be designed and function in ways that align with the needs and goals of the community.
- Authority to Control: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests in Indigenous data must be recognized, and their authority to control their data and how it should be used, stored, and who may access and review the data. Indigenous authority and decision-making have to be empowered and respected during the lifecycle of the research.
- Responsibility: Researchers and institutions working with Indigenous Peoples are accountable to the Indigenous communities they are collaboratively working with, and are responsible for illustrating how the data is used to support Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination and collective benefit.
- Ethics: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at all stages of the data life cycle. Researchers must adhere to Indigenous communities’ data strategies and protection standards.
TRUST Principles
The TRUST Principles provide a common framework to facilitate the implementation of best practices in digital preservation and protection of Indigenous Data.
- Transparency: Digital repositories should be transparent about their services, data holdings, and how they operate. This includes clear information on data access policies, preservation timelines, and any relevant metadata standards.
- Responsibility: Repositories should demonstrate responsibility for the authenticity, integrity, and reliability of their data holdings. They should also manage intellectual property rights, protect sensitive data, and ensure the security of their systems.
- User Focus: Repositories should be designed with the needs of their users in mind. This includes providing accessible interfaces, clear documentation, and responsive support.
- Sustainability: Repositories should be sustainable in the long term, ensuring that data remains accessible and usable for the foreseeable future. This includes having robust governance structures, secure infrastructure, and sufficient funding.
- Technology: Repositories should utilize appropriate technology to support their functions, including data storage, preservation, and access. This includes employing current best practices for data management and security.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Principles
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Principles are Inuit teachings that provide a culturally grounded sense of purpose and inherent responsibilities. They are intended to be used across all sectors to guide respectful relationships, management practices, and governance. the following Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit principles, as set out by the Government of Nunavut:
- ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᖅ – Inuuqatigiitsiarniq: Respecting others, relationships, and caring for people.
Researchers must respect Inuit’s heritage, language, culture, and knowledge, and substantiate a reciprocal foundation underpinning the relationships with Inuit communities that would lead and guide the collaborative research projects.
- ᑐᙵᓇᕐᓂᖅ – Tunnganarniq: Fostering good spirit by being open, welcoming, and inclusive.
Researchers should be mindful and open to learn from Inuit communities, adapt their methods and protocols, and re-adapt changes and modifications suggested by the communities throughout the research life cycle.
- ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕐᓂᖅ – Pijitsirniq: Serving and providing for family and/or community.
Inuit communities should benefit from the usability of their data, and the research should collaboratively be designed and approached to align with the needs and goals of the community.
- ᐋᔩᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖅ – Aajiiqatigiinniq: Decision making through discussion and consensus.
Researchers must maintain consultation with Inuit communities throughout the research life cycle, acknowledging that Inuit data is owned by the community.
- ᐱᓕᒻᒪᒃᓴᕐᓂᖅ – Pilimmaksarniq: Development of skills through observation, mentoring, practice, and effort
Researchers should remain open and conscious to adapt and re-adapt new ways of knowing and new forms of technology, and deploy, employ, and share what they have learned to advance and strengthen their relationships with the community.
- ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᒌᓐᓂᖅ – Ikajuqtigiinniq: Working together for a common cause.
Researchers should co-work with Inuit communities based on mutual agreements aimed at achieving aggregate good for Inuit Peoples and for Canada’s reconciliation.
- ᖃᓄᖅᑑᕐᓂᖅ – Qanuqtuurniq: Being innovative and resourceful.
Researchers should prepare to be innovative and creative, as well as share their research approach, findings, and sources with the community.
- ᐊᕙᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᖅ – Avatittinnik Kamatsiarniq: Respect and care for the land, animals, and the environment.
Researchers should value the land and respect Inuit’s ontology and epistemology.
National Inuit Strategy on Research Principles (NISR)
The NISR outlines the five priority areas for action and investment that are identified for enhancing the efficacy and impact of Inuit Nunangat research for Inuit and all Canadians. These priority areas are as follows:
- Advance Inuit governance in research: This area emphasizes the need for Inuit self-determination in research. Key objectives include achieving greater Inuit representation in research governance, reforming research-related legislative and policy mechanisms, and ensuring Inuit self-determination in research governance.
- Enhance the ethical conduct of research: This priority focuses on improving the ethical conduct of research in Inuit communities. Objectives include regulating the ethical conduct of research, supporting Inuit-led research ethics review processes, and developing Inuit-specific ethics guidelines.
- Align funding with Inuit research priorities: This area highlights the importance of aligning research funding with Inuit research priorities. Objectives include advancing Inuit self-determination in data collection, investing in Inuit-led data and information technology, and ensuring Inuit ownership of data.
- Ensure Inuit access, ownership, and control over data and information: This priority emphasizes Inuit access, ownership, and control over data and information. Objectives include building human resource capacity in Inuit regions, establishing an Inuit Nunangat university, and enhancing research infrastructure in Inuit communities.
- Build capacity in Inuit Nunangat research: This priority focuses on building research capacity in Inuit Nunangat. Objectives include broadening research funding criteria to recognize Inuit research methodologies, investing in broadband access, building infrastructure in Inuit communities, and developing Inuit-specific training and education programs.
Ethical Métis Research
These six principles are not meant to be enforceable rules but to guide ethical research with Métis communities.
- Reciprocal Relationships: Researchers should build equal partnerships with the Métis community, engage with community members, and share responsibilities and benefits by learning from each other.
- Respect: Researchers should respect community practices and protocols at individual and collective levels, and acknowledge the unique social respectability of confidentiality, autonomy, identity, and gender diversity.
- Safe and Inclusive Environments: Research must be inclusive of various age groups, genders, sexual identities, and diverse concepts of Aboriginality, and should maintain inclusivity throughout the research process.
- Diversity: Researchers should recognize and account for the diversity within Métis communities, including differences in beliefs, values, worldviews, and geographic locations.
- Research Should: Research should have certain outcomes in order for it to be considered ethical, and should be relevant , beneficial, and accountable to the Métis community, while researchers should acknowledge the contribution of participants and community partners.
- Métis Context: Researchers should have a social, cultural, and political understanding of Métis history and values prior to conducting research projects. Researchers should also consult and involve Métis experts to conceptualize and navigate the complexities of Métis worldviews and epistemology.
Global Indigenous Data Protocols
The First Nations Principles of OCAP®, CARE, FAIR, TRUST, and other core principles are all global Indigenous data sovereignty principles. Introducing other specific global Indigenous data sovereignty protocols is to shed light on the diverse and rich Indigenous data cultures and data best practices.
The following principles from Indigenous Peoples in the United States, New Zealand and Australia are to illustrate and affirm the diversity and interconnectedness of Indigenous data sovereignty and governance protocols.
The USIDSN Indigenous Data Governance Principles.
Principles of Māori Data Sovereignty, they are provided by the Te Mana Raraunga, The Māori Data Sovereignty Network.
The Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collective.