Special Indigenous Digital Sovereignty edition of the News River
Boozhoo News River readers,
This News River special edition shines a light on Indigenous Digital Sovereignty.
Earlier this month the 2024 Indigenous Connectivity Summit featured an important panel discussion on "What does it mean to have digital sovereignty?". Indigenous leaders shared their insights on reclaiming control over digital futures. Get the full details and link in the feature box below.
We also link to a must-read blog post from the American Indian Policy Institute that provides a crucial definition of the overarching concept of "Indigenous Digital Sovereignty." As Dr. Traci Morris explains, this term encompasses control over data and governance over the physical infrastructure and networks that enable the flow of information in Indigenous communities.
This week also includes links where you can learn more about how Indigenous communities are extending land-based sovereignty into digital spaces with a link to a fascinating academic study #NativeTwitter connects to land and sovereignty; plus a link to an extensive set of resources exploring Māori digital sovereignty and the work of Te Mana Raraunga (links at the bottom).
Watch the panel "What does it mean to have digital sovereignty?"
"The very nature of colonial technologies is always to steal. It's always to dispossess. It's always to enclose, put in a little box, put a label on it, and sell to somebody else,” Jeff Doctor an Impact Strategist here at Animikii reminded the audience at the 8th annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit (ICS) which was held earlier this month in Membertou First Nation, Mi'kma'ki (Nova Scotia).
The Indigenous Connectivity Institute (ICI) hosted a community-led forum, bringing together Indigenous leaders and allies from the United States and Canada. The forum aimed to empower Indigenous communities to shape their digital future. Key topics included securing Indigenous spectrum rights, developing an Indigenous digital workforce, and establishing digital sovereignty through community-led connectivity models.
The panel "What does it mean to have digital sovereignty?" featured Doctor, Denis Bumpy Kanalehe from the Nation of Hawai'i, and Sacha LaBillois from the Assembly of First Nations. They discussed how Indigenous communities are asserting their right to self-determination over their data, technologies, and online spaces, to chart digital paths free from the constraints of digital colonialism. The full discussion on digital sovereignty can be viewed in the recorded live stream of the 2024 Indigenous Connectivity Summit at the link below.
We’re grateful to have our headquarters on traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Lkwungen, Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples of the Coast Salish Nation.
Animikii Inc: theDock Centre for Social Impact 100-722 Cormorant St Victoria, BC V8W 1P8
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