Where Are Our Relatives’ Stories?
Due to the historically and present-day extractive, non-community based nature of data collection, especially about Indigenous communities and individuals, a considerable amount of First Nation data is held by non-community sources, such as the federal and provincial governments, as well as universities and other research organizations (as well as an increasing amount in the hands of private corporations, in particular the social media giants such as Meta, Google, and Apple).
However much of this data might not be accurate, nor applicable to on-the-ground health within our communities. SIIA wants to avoid recreating a bureaucratic framework encased in red tape, producing and using data that disparages our communities, which is why it is important to proactively have conversations to ensure that our cultural values are infused and direct every aspect of our work.
As our relatives, our children and their data is something that we have a responsibility to. Existing data collection and use have shown us what adopting a ‘big brother’ attitude towards our people looks like, and as we move forward, we hope to embody what Gwen Phillips describes as the ‘Grandmother perspective’ on data: we want to know because we care.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of current databases which might hold relevant information on our children and youth:
Federal
- Indigenous Services Canada
- Statistics Canada
Provincial
- Ministry of Child and Family Development
- Ministry of the Attorney General
- Ministry of public safety and solicitor general
- Ministry of Education and Childcare
- First Nations Health Authority
Local
- Delegated Aboriginal Agencies
- Surrounded by Cedar
- NIȽ TU,O
- USMA
- Service Providers
- Hulitan
- South Island Wellness Society
- Victoria Native Friendship Centre
- Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness
- School Districts
- University/Research Institutions
- Nations
REFLECTION QUESTION
If you had a magic wand, what information about children/youth in your community/Nation would you want to appear in front of you this very second?
