Indigenous Information Management Platform

Makwa7’s goal is to empower communities and Indigenous organizations with a platform that will allow the community to have their voice and tell their story in the manner they want it to be told. To accomplish this, we plan to align the community goals of data management and governance needs.

We believe that initiating the process and implementing a core platform for managing data within a space controlled by data owners is a pivotal step toward establishing robust data governance and reinforcing data sovereignty. This initiative ensures that all information pertaining to communities and Indigenous organizations is unequivocally within their Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP®).

Data Sovereignty:

Data sovereignty refers to the right of Indigenous communities to govern and control their own data. It recognizes that data collected about Indigenous peoples should be owned and managed by the communities themselves, rather than being controlled by external entities. At Makwa7 we are committed to upholding data sovereignty and ensuring that the OCAP® principles remain under the jurisdiction of all our clients.

Data Governance:

Indigenous data governance refers to the principles, practices, and protocols that guide the collection, ownership, and management of data within Indigenous communities. It involves ensuring that data is collected and used in a way that respects Indigenous rights, values, and knowledge systems. At Makwa7 we help Indigenous communities build capacity by implementing solutions to help them use their data for decision making, research, and policy development in a meaningful way that benefits the community.