Transforming institutional governance and ethics for Indigenous control of Indigenous data
News & Updates
Two Upcoming Webinars:
Webinar 1: “It’s Never Going To Be A Non-Issue”: AI And Indigenous Interests February 11, 2026 04:00 PM Eastern Time
AI and Indigenous interests will never be a non-issue – Indigenous communities face ongoing threats to self-determination as data is extracted globally without consent, and participation in the AI landscape isn’t optional. This webinar examines both the serious risks and strategic opportunities within this reality. Drawing on experience in tribal planning and ongoing independent monitoring of AI developments, we’ll explore practical approaches Indigenous communities and institutions can take now: implementing safer data storage practices, developing offline models that maintain data sovereignty, and deploying specialized smaller language models built on clean, community-controlled datasets. Participants will learn methods for monitoring AI developments and receive actionable recommendations for making strategic choices that center Indigenous rights while navigating an AI landscape that won’t wait for permission.
Webinar 2: The World’s First Indigenous Data Standard: IEEE 2890-2025 Provenance of Indigenous Peoples’ Data
Feb 18, 2026 02:00 PM Arizona
Join Stephanie Carroll, Jane Anderson, Randy Akee, Camille Callison, Maui Hudson, and Max Liboiron to discuss the development, approval, and public access to the IEEE 2890-2025 Recommended Practice for Provenance of Indigenous Peoples’ Data. The IEEE 2890-2025 Recommended Practice for the Provenance of Indigenous Peoples’ Data details the process for describing and recording the provenance of data about or related to Indigenous Peoples and their cultures, lands, and knowledge systems. Within data-generated industries, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as biodiversity research and innovations in genomic science, this standard enhances the integrity of that data, and the likelihood of engaged collaborations with data producers in ways that were previously unthinkable. Setting standards begins to address the combined problems of the proliferation of unreliable data and information on Indigenous Peoples; the lack of Indigenous participation, control, and governance over the circulation of Indigenous data and information; and the misappropriation and misuse of Indigenous data and information. This webinar will describe the context for and development of the standard, and its implications for Indigenous Peoples and other data actors. Notably, the process included Indigenous leadership at all stages, an Indigenous Caucus, consultation with Indigenous Peoples, and ensuring open access for the standard.
Registration for each of these webinars will be launched two week prior to the date of the event.
January 13, 2026
New Policy Brief: Safeguarding Traditions, Enhancing Agriculture: Indigenous Data Sovereignty as a Tool in the Age of AI Centered Agriculture
Designed and facilitated by an Indigenous-led steering committee, representing 8 different Tribal Nations throughout the United States, the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance two-day, virtual “Past, Present and Future Indigenous Data Sovereignty Needs in Agriculture Workshop” on November 16-17, 2022 was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This is the second of two policy briefs related to the gathering. For further information, please see Policy Brief 1: Intersection of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Tribal Agriculture Data Needs.
The interactions among Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov), agriculture, and developing technologies, including remote sensing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) remain unexplored. While technological innovation and data optimization are increasingly being centered in the farming industry and federal grant calls (such as USDA NIFA, USDA AFRI, NSF USDA FRR), many attendees, referred to as Workshop Experts in this brief, wanted to explore how IDSov and Indigenous food sovereignty align. Considerations of IDSov and Indigenous data governance (IDGov) within emerging agriculture technologies are of concern to both traditional and
nontraditional farmers and ranchers, along with Tribal Nations, communities, and their leaders. As agriculture expands to be more technocentric, and funding agencies
incentivize research using AI, ML, and other emerging technologies, IDGov remains an absent but needed part of the conversation. Download
January 13, 2026
Upcoming Webinar: Chickasaw Nation & Karuk Tribe Indigenous Knowledge and Data Sovereignty and Governance Approaches
Registration is now open for the upcoming webinar scheduled for August 26, 2025 10-12pm PT. Indigenous Peoples Data Collective members representing Chickasaw Nation (Mari Hulbutta) and the Karuk Tribe (Leece LaRue & Sierra Hicks) will present their Tribal governments’ journeys, to-date, in asserting Tribal Data Sovereignty and practicing Tribal Data Governance. Learn more…
August 13, 2025
First Episode of New Podcast Now Available on Spotify: “Relational Science on the Route”
“Relational Science” is a brand new thought-provoking podcast that delves into the intricate web of relationality in the realms of knowledge, data, information, and technology. Join PhD students WºNº Flores and Sierra Hicks as they engage in insightful dialogues with researchers, exploring systems of knowledge production and tackling pressing questions about our futures, pasts, and presents. New episodes are released monthly, and embark on a journey of discovery and understanding through the lens of biocomplexity systems, self-determination, sovereign praxes, and data & AI central dogma. Listen to the first episode on Spotify…
May 13, 2025
Open Peer Commentary Calls for the Application of CARE Principles in AI Health Research with Indigenous Peoples
The commentary recently published in the American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB urges revisions to the Common Rule, advocating for the incorporation of CARE Principles to address collective harms and enhance the ethical engagement of Indigenous Peoples in the use of AI and machine learning (ML) in health research. Co-author Nicole Halmai shares additional insights and commentary on the publication. Learn more…
May 11, 2025
Upcoming webinar: Agreements & Memorandums of Understanding as Strategic Tools for Indigenous Data Governance for Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Nations
The April 30th webinar will provide foundational information around agreements, clauses, memorandums of understanding/agreements (MOU/MOAs) and other tools Indigenous Peoples/Tribal Nations can use to support Indigenous Data Sovereignty in a variety of ways and contexts. Learn more…
April 21, 2025
Registration now open for two upcoming webinars on connecting archives, Indigenous librarianship & Indigenous data sovereignty
The Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance and its partners are hosting two webinars in April 2025 in an effort to enhance the understanding of Indigenous data practices among researchers. These sessions aim to provide foundational insights into integrating Indigenous data rights and best practices in academic research. Learn more…
March 26, 2025
Te Pā Tūwatawata – Sovereign Data Storage for Indigenous Peoples
The April 17th webinar will feature Te Pā Tūwatawata— a distributed storage network that Māori have designed in Aotearoa New Zealand to empower their tribal nations and communities to collect, store, protect, access, and control their own data. Learn more…
March 26, 2025
Upcoming: GIDA 2025 Conference
The Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) is hosting the GIDSov Conference 2025 to bring together Indigenous Peoples from across the globe to reflect on the advances of the past decade in Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Governance. This conference will also map future pathways and aspirations for the next decade in regard to exploring ways to move beyond principles into practice. Learn more…
March 31, 2025
Guiding the next generation of students on Indigenous policy
The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy developed its flagship Mo’s Policy Scholars program in 2023. Mo’s is a highly selective, 14-week paid mentorship program for nine U of A junior and senior undergraduate students interested in environmental impact and Indigenous governance policy. The article reports feedback on the program’s success from some of its key contributors: Caleigh Curley, MPH; Ibrahim Garba, SJD; and Stephanie Russo Carroll, DrPH, MPH. The article also includes comments from one of the most recent Mo’s scholars, Alyssa Wood, who worked alongside Curley during the 2024 mentorship program. Learn more…
November 18, 2024
$1.5M grant will build global network to prevent exploitation of Indigenous data
Researchers at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, alongside the University of Arizona Native Nations Institute, have recently received a generous $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant is intended to provide funding in arenas that have never received funding before: establishing a framework that protects the way Indigenous data around the world is collected and used, linking existing research and policy-focused networks toward advancing Indigenous data sovereignty. Learn more…
August 12, 2024
Indigenous Nations Are Fighting To Take Back Their Data
Research on Indigenous communities in the United States has a history full of exploitation, power imbalances, and stolen knowledge. Since data ownership is linked with power and leverage, the article reports the growing field of Indigenous data sovereignty is demanding that Native communities maintain the rights to their own data, which includes deciding how data about their people are collected, owned, and used. Learn more…
May 31, 2024
University of Arizona research to tackle extreme heat challenges
KVOA News reports the new federal initiative to use research in addressing extreme heat challenges nationwide and aiding affected communities. The Center for Heat Resilient Communities is led by faculty and staff at the University of California, Los Angeles, alongside its two partner institutions, UArizona and Arizona State University. Learn more…
May 22, 2024
New federally funded center will rely on UArizona expertise to help communities manage extreme heat
A $2.25 million grant from the Department of Commerce and NOAA will fund about 3 years of research for the new federal initiative to manage extreme heat challenges, and help communities nationwide create policies that take action in mitigating and managing the extreme heat. About $108K of that grant will go to UArizona, newly involved in the recently-developed Center for Heat Resilient Communities, which was announced by the US Department of Commerce and the NOAA to help translate climate research into policies and guidelines. Two primary UArizona contributors to this project are Stephanie Russo Carroll, DrPH, MPH; and Ladd Keith, Ph.D. Learn more…
May 20, 2024
This Hopi dry farmer is trying to safeguard seeds from threats of climate change, commercialization
KJZZ Phoenix News reports the story of Michael Kotutwa Johnson, a Hopi dry farmer in Northern Arizona, whose agriculture has been severely harmed by climate change. He is now attempting to find solutions to combat these environmental challenges through research at the University of Arizona as an assistance specialist in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. He works alongside Dr. Stephanie Russo Carroll, associate research professor at the University of Arizona’s Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy. Learn more…
March 19, 2024
Traditional Hopi farmer Michael Kotutwa Johnson receives Rockefeller grant
Navajo-Hopi news reports a recently developed project (funded by a $500K grant from The Rockefeller Foundation’s Climate Exploration Fund) which aims to address sustainability in regard to tribal communities’ food systems and bring recognition to Indigenous agricultural contributions. One important challenge encountered by tribal communities is the diminishing biodiversity within their cropping systems; therefore, the project seeks to address topics like tribal heritage and data sovereignty. Learn more…
January 20, 2024
UArizona researcher at the forefront of Indigenous data sovereignty
Dr. Stephanie Russo Carroll is a leading expert on Indigenous data sovereignty, conducting her research at the University of Arizona. After defining Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance, the article proudly reports the progress she has made and her contributions to IDgov and IDsov. She is the director of the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance at UArizona, a member of the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA), and in 2019 has successfully released the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance. Learn more…
May 22, 2023
Henry Luce Foundation Award: Implementing Indigenous Data Governance in Repositories
We are pleased to announce that it has been awarded $300,000 in funding from the Henry Luce Foundation in support of research and the implementation of the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance in data repositories. Read full announcement
