Love Data Week: From Theory to Respectful Practice: Wampum as a Living Embodiment of Indigenous Data Sovereignty

Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025 

Time: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.  

Location: Zoom 

Facilitators: Sara Anderson (senior manager, Indigenous research) and Savannah Sloat (manager, science Indigenous initiatives)  

This workshop will discuss the growing calls in Canada and around the world to recognize and respect Indigenous Data Sovereignty and consider the importance of moving beyond the theoretical implications of this movement using Wampum as an example. We will address: 

• What is Indigenous Data Sovereignty? 
• Why are there special considerations for Indigenous Data and Indigenous Knowledges? 
• What is the role of non-Indigenous researchers in interacting with Indigenous Data and Knowledges? 
• What are some steps you can take to respect Indigenous Data Sovereignty? 

By the end of this workshop, participants will...  

• Gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous Data Sovereignty 
• Learn about respectful practices of interaction with Indigenous Data and Knowledges in a research context 
• Recognize the significance of Wampum in this territory 

Please register to receive the online event link. The session will not be recorded, and Sara Anderson’s slides will be shared with attendees after the event.  

If you have accommodation requests or questions, reach out to Anneliese Eber (aeber@uwaterloo.ca) or Antonio Muñoz Gómez (ra2munoz@uwaterloo.ca) with your needs.  

Register now

Facilitators  

Sara Anderson 

Sara Anderson (she/her) comes from a mixed background of German Mennonite and Indigenous heritage. As the daughter of a 60s scoop survivor, her ongoing learning and reconnection journey inspired her to become involved in community organizing for Indigenous rights, with a particular focus on settler education and allyship.  

She received her MA in the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University in 2016, while concurrently completing the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Policy and Administration at Carleton’s School of Public Policy and Administration. Following her MA, Sara worked at KAIROS Canada, a national non-profit organization, as the assistant manager for the KAIROS Blanket Exercise national education program for five years. 

Sara currently serves as the senior manager, Indigenous research in the Office of the Vice-President, Research & International at the University of Waterloo.  

Savannah Sloat 

As a member of the Tuscarora Nation and Six Nations of the Grand River, Savannah (they/she) brings a unique and personal perspective to her research, focusing on the ways in which Indigenous material culture and historical narratives intersect and shape understandings of identity and heritage. 

Her doctoral research delves into the role of traditional objects in the preservation and transmission of Haudenosaunee cultural knowledge and the impact of colonial encounters on Haudenosaunee material culture and community memory. 

In addition to her research, Savannah currently works as the manager, science Indigenous initiatives in the Faculty of Science at the University of Waterloo.