Ethical and Culturally Responsive Framework for (Meta) Data Governance: The Potential of Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels in Sámi Collections

This project, led by Laís Barbudo Carrasco, investigates how Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels – developed within the Local Contexts initiative – together with the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance can contribute to enhancing community participation, supporting data sovereignty, and promoting the ethical stewardship of cultural heritage.

Digitization of Sámi collections brings many opportunities for access and preservation, but also risks. Without the right tools and protocols, digital archives may remove important cultural context, misattribute knowledge, or allow uses that conflict with Sámi values. TK and BC Labels are digital markers that communicate attribution, restrictions, cultural context, and conditions of use. Combined with the CARE Principles – Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics – they can support Indigenous data governance and sovereignty, empowering local communities to have a greater role in guiding how cultural heritage is represented and accessed.

Against this backdrop, this project explores the potential of Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels for representing Sámi collections in digital environments and, develops a conceptual framework that ensures ethical and culturally responsive (meta)data governance, contributing to the responsible stewardship of Sámi cultural heritage in digital archives.

It adopts a methodological approach that integrates literature review, document analysis, and the development of a conceptual framework.

The findings will offer guidance for information professionals, scholars, and local communities, while also contributing to international debates on Indigenous data governance and sovereignty.