Why data sovereignty matters now

Tribal control of data changes everything from funding to policy

Greetings,

Last week, we introduced a new type of email that explained a bit more about our journalism and data practices that honor and lay claim to our indigenous heritage and future. Today, I’d like to share why this topic has become such a focus for us.

Native Nations Institute defines Indigenous data sovereignty as “the right of a nation to govern the collection, ownership and application of its own data,” a right that flows from tribal authority over people, land and resources.

Here’s why this matters:

Undercounts tilt the scales.

The Census Bureau’s 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey found a 5.64% net undercount of American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations, the highest miss rate of any U.S. population group. Funding for health clinics, housing and schools relies on those numbers, so even small gaps mean real losses.

Old abuses still echo.

Tribes point to blood samples reused without consent and maps of burial sites posted online as warnings of what happens when others control the data.

New privacy tools can backfire.

Differential privacy, a method the Census Bureau now applies to protect identities, has left many tribal nations with less detailed demographic tables than they received in 2010, hampering local planning.

Better data strengthen sovereignty.

Tribal-run censuses and surveys give governments solid evidence to negotiate funding, draft policy and guard cultural heritage on their own terms.

By reclaiming the numbers — and the stories the numbers tell — Native nations are asserting a fundamental aspect of sovereignty in every arena from disaster response to language preservation.

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Next week, we’ll share more about ethical use and ways to apply respectful data practices beyond our newsroom. In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Visit our Data Sovereignty and Press Freedom page.

As always, we appreciate your support of our work.

Thank you,

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear