Indigenous Data Sovereignty for Tribal Stewardship

Audience(s): Tribes, non-tribal government partners, NGO partners

Tribal Stewardship Policy Priorities: Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Strengthening Tribal Partnerships

Objectives: This toolkit entry offers an introduction to Indigenous data sovereignty in the context of tribal stewardship. It includes resources and tools for tribes seeking to embed data sovereignty in tribal stewardship efforts and also includes resources for partners in tribal stewardship on best practices for respecting tribal data sovereignty in their work. 

Hands weaving a braided cord from dried plant fibers beside a pair of scissors and weaving materials.

This toolkit entry offers an introduction to Indigenous data sovereignty in the context of tribal stewardship. It includes resources and tools for tribes seeking to embed data sovereignty in tribal stewardship efforts and also includes resources for partners in tribal stewardship on best practices for respecting tribal data sovereignty in their work. 

This toolkit entry was developed to support the implementation of California Natural Resources Agency’s Tribal Stewardship Policy and Toolkit. The webinar and associated tools are intended to increase the capacity of tribes, state agencies, and non-tribal entities to advance tribal stewardship, including tribal access, collaboration, and ancestral land return according to the CNRA Tribal Stewardship Policy.

This toolkit entry offers an introduction to Indigenous data sovereignty in the context of tribal stewardship. It includes resources and tools for tribes seeking to build data sovereignty frameworks and embed tribal data sovereignty into stewardship efforts. This entry also includes resources for partners in tribal stewardship on best practices for respecting tribal data sovereignty in their work.

What is Indigenous Data Sovereignty?

The U.S. Indigenous Data Network defines Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) as “reaffirm[ing] Indigenous Peoples’ rights to govern the collection, ownership, and application of their data. IDSov derives from tribes’ inherent right to govern their peoples, lands, and resources. This conception of data sovereignty positions Indigenous Peoples’ activities to govern data within Indigenous rights and human rights frameworks. In other words, IDSov accords with international declarations and covenants to which the US has become a signatory, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).”  

Watch the webinar

  • See additional links and information shared during the webinar in the takeaways document

Tools for Tribes

  • Template: Yurok Tribe—Sovereign Data, Sharing, and Security Agreement for Research Performed in Yurok Ancestral Territory 
    • This agreement, provided by the Yurok Tribe in March 2026, governs the Parties’ creation, collection, exchange, storage, use, and dissemination of culturally sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information acquired or in the possession of the Parties, including interview transcripts, research, analysis, and deliverables.
    • The Yurok Tribal Council has agreed to allow others to use, distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the contents of the “Sovereign Data Sharing and Security Agreement” so long as plain and conspicuous attribution is given to the Yurok Tribe, regardless of the medium or format others choose to put the contents, and so long as the attribution notice in the document is included.
  • Guidebook: Tribal Indigenous Sovereignty Guidebook
    • The Tribal Indigenous Sovereignty Guidebook is a project by the Arizona State University American Indian Policy Institute, Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty in November 2025. It provides a foundation for understanding digital sovereignty and introduces key concepts, outlines the building blocks of digital sovereignty, and highlights examples.
  • Implementation Model: CARE Data Maturity Model (Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance)
    • The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance are a resource to guide the development of policies and practices for the governance of Indigenous data. This resource offers an introduction to the model, guidance for using the model, and examples of its use.
  • Policy Brief: Defining and Putting into Practice Tribal Digital Sovereignty, from the American Indian Policy Institute Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty
    • This paper offers practical steps that Tribal Nations can take to exercise sovereignty in digital spaces, for example, by building broadband networks, establishing data governance offices, and developing culturally grounded digital tools.
  • Policy Brief: Proactive Solutions in Implementing Tribal Digital Sovereignty by Stacy L. Leeds, Samantha Phillips, and Micayla Bledsoe Downes
    • This paper offers practical guidance for Tribal Nations seeking to develop comprehensive legal and governance frameworks that fully implement Tribal Digital Sovereignty. “The article proposes four interlocking ‘buckets’ of legal infrastructure: Tribal codes and regulations that assert digital jurisdiction; contracts and agreements that safeguard data ownership, limit sovereignty waivers, and require portability; easements and infrastructure arrangements that preserve Tribal authority over physical and virtual networks; and business registration systems that capture entities operating digitally in Tribal territories.” 

Tools for Non-tribal Partners in Tribal Stewardship

Organizations and Repositories

  • Indigenous Data Alliance
    • Indigenous Data Alliance is a nonprofit and an alliance of the Collaboratory for Indigenous Governance, the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network, and the Data Warriors Lab. The Alliance offers and Indigenous Data Warriors training program to build capacity across Indigenous communities to implement Indigenous data governance, designs and develops policy by and for Indigenous Peoples, supports Indigenous Peoples to create legal, technological, and procedural infrastructure to exercise authority over their data, and works with non-tribal institutions to embed data governance principles in their policies and practices. Join their email list to receive updates from the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance, Data Warriors Lab, and the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network.
  • Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance
    • The Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance develops institutional frameworks to center the terms of Indigenous Peoples around research and data partnerships, with a  goal of moving beyond recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to data toward institutional change to protect and strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ relationships with their data. The Collaboratory shares research, hosts webinars, and aggregates research and information to advance Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
    • The Indigenous Data Exchange (IDX) is a project of the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance and offers an international network to create and share tools for the governance of Indigenous data in various settings.
  • U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network
    • The U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network provides research information, training opportunities, and policy advocacy to safeguard the rights and promote the interests of Indigenous Peoples in relation to data.
  • UC Berkeley Library Guide: Indigenous Data Sovereignty
    • This library guide includes foundation Indigenous Data Sovereignty readings, a directory of networks and organizations, case studies of Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and data tools.
  • Arizona State University American Indian Policy Institute: Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty
    • The Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty is committed to advancing research, policy development and capacity-building across Indian Country, working toward a future in which every Tribal Nation achieves true digital self-determination and Tribal digital sovereignty. “Tribal Digital Sovereignty (TDS) is an umbrella term that refers to the ability of Tribal Nations to control and manage digital infrastructure, data and technologies in ways that support self-determination and protect community interests.”
  • Indigenous Governance Database (University of Arizona, Native Nations Institute)
    • This Database is a repository of resources to support Indigenous Governance, including resources related to Indigenous Data Governance.
  • Indigenous Data Authority—an Indigenous-led governance and certification body that ensures Indigenous data is governed lawfully, ethically, and with proper authority before it is collected, reused, inferred, or embedded into digital or AI systems. 

Selected Exemplars of Indigenous Data Governance:

Further Reading