Sámi Ownership and Data Access (SODA)
Photo: Jannie Staffanson
The Saami Council has adopted a road map of Sámi Ownership and Data Access principles (SODA) based on the well-established CARE-principles. The decision was made at a council meeting in Hetta, Finland in April this year. The purpose of the SODA principles is to give the Sámi and their representative institutions the ability to control and administer data they have been involved in producing.
Photo: Gunn-Britt Retter
It has previously been expressed concern that research data generated by Indigenous Peoples is not collective benefit to the society involved in the data generation. It has also been pointed out that Indigenous peoples and their local communities do not always have ownership, control, or authority to administer the data they have co-produced, and experience that the research data is not handled in a manner that respect the welfare, dignity, and authority of Indigenous Peoples. This has resulted in the unethical use of indigenous data.
These are the main points of the decision:
The Sami research data shall be collected, stored and used for the collective benefit of the Sami people and their communities.
The Sámi people and their representative institutions shall have authority to control their data.
The Sámi people and their representative institutions shall have the right to ownership and control of their data.
Researchers, institutions and data custodians have a responsibility to ensure that the processing of research data upholds the rights of the Sámi people.
All aspects of the research data lifecycle are guided by ethical principles that prioritize the well-being, dignity and autonomy of the Sámi people.
We acknowledge the importance of ensuring our communities and the Sameråd ownership and access to the knowledge and research results of the projects we participate in. This is important for protecting our intellectual property rights, for preserving the protection of our cultural heritage, and for providing a knowledge to our local communities that we can benefit from.