Recognising Indigenous data sovereignty and implementing Indigenous data governance at the Ngangk Yira Institute for Change

<h2>Abstract</h2> The concepts of Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous data governance have attracted a great deal of attention over the last two decades. There have been several international symposia and roundtable discussions on the subject and a larger number of books and articles have been published. This paper focuses on developments in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States of America, as countries with similar historical experiences, particularly in the relationship between the non-Indigenous colonisers and local Indigenous populations. Knowledge production related to Indigenous data sovereignty and data governance has direct relevance to the work of the Ngangk Yira Institute for Change (Ngangk Yira), Murdoch University – an Indigenous-led research intensive institute working in close collaboration with Aboriginal peoples and communities in Western Australia and nationally. This paper discusses development of theoretical positions on Indigenous data sovereignty and the mechanism by which this can be achieved, namely: Indigenous data governance. The variety of models, frameworks and principles are then examined. It also describes current projects being undertaken to assist Indigenous communities exercise sovereignty over their data and provides some examples of what can be achieved when research privileges an Indigenous world view and focuses on issues important to Indigenous people and communities. Finally, it explains how Ngangk Yira is incorporating the principles of Indigenous data sovereignty and governance into its research programs.