Let’s talk about:
- How does data influence decision making nationally related to the geosciences, the
environment, government and agency policies, and protection of natural and cultural
resources? - How can we make sure Native American students are well-trained in all aspects of data
collection, access, usage, and analysis? - What happens when federal or state data access policy conflicts with Tribal sovereignty?
- What issues are there with data quantification of nebulous variables such as personal,
cultural, or spiritual values (e.g., how do tribes quantify water needs required for cultural
practices, ceremonies, fishing, etc.)? What can we learn from social science research
and decision science about how to adequately quantify these types of variables?
○ How do you retain culture and identity in data?
○ How do you put a value on culture? Should you?
○ How do you share data on these issues? Should you?
○ What are some issues that arise when data integrity conflicts with cultural sites or
traditional practices (e.g., Tribal resource managers must evaluate the use of
sacred/ritual/cultural uses of resources when designing sampling plans and
choosing sampling sites)? - What barriers are there to data use for Natives in the geosciences (collection, training,
storage, usage, analyses, ethics)? - How can Natives use data to enhance equity, social justice, inclusion, and provide a
platform to advocate for stronger voices in the socio-political process? - Tribes must protect resources through legal and political platforms which require data to
quantify everything. How does data enhance or diminish Tribal sovereignty? - Where does TEK fit into a world of Big Data, where new technologies and computing
abilities focus scientists on Harnessing the Data Revolution? TEK is about long-time
scale (generational) observations about a place to make good decisions that contribute
to human and environmental survival and sustainability. Co-management of human and
natural ecosystems.
More Information: