Technology Lessons from Orange Shirt Day

Key Points:

• OCAP principles guide respectful and community-centered data management
  

• Indigenous Data Sovereignty emphasizes transparency and accountability in data use
  

• Indigenizing technology creates inclusive systems that honor cultural perspectives

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day in Canada, is a time to reflect on the painful history of residential schools and it is a time to honor survivors and those who never came home. It is a day of remembrance – and also a time for learning and growth. At voyAIge strategy, we have recently reflected on the many lessons Indigenous technology and media leaders provide through their work and example. We recognize that Indigenous business practices present an opportunity for organizations to revitalize their own practices.

Our Co-Founder Tommy hosts the What’s That Noise?! Podcast. For the past year, it has been the home to a special series called One Feather, Two Pens, co-hosted by Lawrence Lewis, Co-Founder and CEO of OneFeather. This Insight draws upon some of the series’ nine podcast episodes to share key values and principles that can serve as powerful growth opportunities for organizations working with data and complex technology like AI.

Here are four principles and values that could help your organization foster more ethical, inclusive, and accountable data practices:

1. Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP)

The OCAP principles – Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession – are essential for understanding respectful data management. Indigenous communities have long advocated that they must have the ability to govern data about their people and lands. OCAP is not merely about data privacy. It speaks to the heart of how communities can control and protect data that are used to generate stories about Indigenous peoples. These principles are also crucial for protecting the ability for Indigenous peoples to continue authentically telling their own stories.

At any organization, OCAP can reshape how data is treated. Data are not just numbers. They represent people, their histories, and their futures. As Ja'Elle Leite, CEO of Ultralogix, mentioned on a recent episode of One Feather, Two Pens, stories from Indigenous communities carry important lessons for those who are willing to listen. Reflecting on how your organization handles and protects data, particularly when it relates to vulnerable or underrepresented groups, is a crucial step toward demonstrating ethical technology use. This applies to AI as much as it does any technology.

2. Indigenous Data Sovereignty

Indigenous Data Sovereignty refers to the right of Indigenous peoples to govern data about their communities, cultures, and lands. If OCAP are data management steps an organization can take, Indigenous Data Sovereignty is a goal for many Indigenous peoples who encounter data and technology.

In the era of Big Data, an organization can quickly lose sight of who controls the narratives that data create. Indigenous Data Sovereignty emphasizes the importance of giving Indigenous communities agency over their data and ensuring that its use aligns with their values.

For your organization, applying this principle could mean being transparent about how data is collected, stored, and shared. It involves making sure that these processes can be explained and understood by the community members themselves. If your organization is gathering data that involves Indigenous populations, this principle is crucial for maintaining trust.

3. Indigenization of Technology

Indigenization means embedding Indigenous perspectives and values into existing systems. It’s the deliberate practice of protecting and promoting culture through tools and technologies. It’s helpful to recognize that bringing an Indigenous lens into an organization doesn’t just benefit Indigenous stakeholders. It also helps organizations make their technology more inclusive and culturally aware.

James Delorme, CEO of Indigelink Digital Inc., who was featured in Episode 8 of the podcast series, highlighted the importance of intentionally bringing Indigenous perspectives into spaces and places where they haven’t traditionally existed. For businesses, this might look like creating spaces for Indigenous collaboration, particularly in decision-making processes related to technology and data. For example, this could involve re-evaluating how data flows through your company, ensuring that systems in place don’t marginalize Indigenous voices or stories.

4. Narrative Authority

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, award-winning filmmaker and storyteller, shared in Episode 5 of our series the importance of narrative authority – the power and right of individuals and communities to control, shape, and share their own stories. In an organizational setting, narrative authority prompts organizations to think deeply about how they present information, especially when it relates to Indigenous peoples.

Organizations must be self-aware of how their data collection, products, and services might filter or alter Indigenous narratives. Engaging directly with Indigenous communities is vital when your data or technology practices involve or represent their stories. This ensures that narratives are not only accurate but also owned and told by the right people and voices.

Bridging Indigenous Data and Technology Insights with Organizational Practice

Reflecting on these principles offers organizations a chance to recalibrate their ethical approaches to data and technology. Ethics in the digital age isn’t just about compliance or creating polished policies. It’s about respecting the stories behind the data and the people represented by them.

As we learned from Indigenous thought leaders, ethical technology practices require constant dialogue, humility, and an openness. Here are three tips to help bridge Indigenous principles with your own organizational practices:

1. Translate Ethics into Action: Don’t just publish ethics policies. Turn them into daily actions. Ask how OCAP or Indigenous Data Sovereignty can be applied to your organization's specific context.

   
   

2. Engage Communities: Actively engage Indigenous voices, especially when your technology touches their data, culture, or representation. Make space for dialogue and collaboration.

   
   

3. Be Accountable: Ensure transparency and accountability in how data is managed and shared. Being answerable to the communities your data affects is a hallmark of ethical practice.

   
   

Orange Shirt Day reminds us of the power of stories, and Indigenous communities have much to teach us if we listen. By adopting even some of their many data and technology principles, organizations can not only create more ethical and inclusive data systems but also honor the cultural wisdom that strengthens them.