Listener Picks: Indigenous communities want sovereignty over their data

WAMU 88.5 | By Anna Casey

Published January 10, 2024 at 2:35 AM EST

Miss Navajo Nation Shaandiin P. Parrish puts on a white gown to help distribute food, water, and other supplies to Navajo families in Huerfano on the Navajo Nation Reservation, New Mexico.

For centuries, Native Americans have struggled for sovereignty over their land, culture, and traditions.

And in recent years, their data, especially when it comes to information about their health.

Native scientists are working to bring medical data that had traditionally been extracted from tribal communities back into the hands of indigenous people. We speak with members of The NativeBio, the first indigenous-led biodata repository and research institution on the tribal lands of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation.

The inspiration for this conversation came from listener James Perez in Michigan and is part of our annual week of listener-suggested show series.

We hear from Native scientists about righting past wrongs when it comes to how indigenous communities have been treated by researchers and how they hope to improve the health of their communities through the decolonization of data.

1A always welcomes suggestions from listeners. Email us your ideas: 1A@wamu.org.