Tribal data sovereignty is a core tenant of Tribal Ready’s mission. Data sovereignty is a fundamental aspect of self-determination and control over decision-making processes and resource management. In addition, data is often used to make decisions that directly impact the lives and well-being of tribal citizens.
Ensuring tribal data sovereignty means ensuring that tribal nations have control over how their data is collected, stored, and used, in a way that is consistent with their values, culture, and laws.
Tribal Ready’s curated data is stored on Google Cloud and follows Google’s best practices, protocols, and security measures.
Below are a few ways that Tribal nations can ensure data sovereignty:
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Building their own data infrastructure, including servers and storage systems, so that data remains within the control of the tribal nation.
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Building capacity within the tribal nation to manage data, including hiring and training data managers and analysts.
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Developing and implementing their own data governance policies and procedures clearly outlining how data is collected, stored, and used.
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Partnering with organizations and institutions— such as universities and nonprofits— that share similar values and goals for data management.
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Building trusting relationships with external organizations like state and federal agencies to ensure that data is used in a way that is consistent with tribal sovereignty.
