Reuse and sharing of archaeological data are tied to ethics in data practice, research design, and the rights of Indigenous peoples in decision-making about their heritage. In this article, the authors discuss how the CARE (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles and Indigenous data governance create intellectual space for archaeological research. We show how archaeologists can use this framework to highlight hidden costs and labor associated with the “data ecosystem,” which are often borne by Indigenous nations and communities. The CARE framework gives voice to Indigenous peoples’ concerns around data sharing, curation, and reuse; ways we can redress these issues; and strategies that facilitate Indigenous nations and communities in deriving collective benefit from research. In archaeology, these efforts include greater work on heritage legislation and policy, repositioning Indigenous peoples as active stewards of their data, and building capacity in digital methods and ethical data practice. Each Indigenous nation and community has its own interests, values, and protocols, and we suggest paths to bring data practice into alignment with the CARE framework.

In this paper, we describe a collaboration between the Westbank First Nation Archaeology Office and UBC Okanagan that aims to create digital maps to enable engagement with syilx digital heritage and build capacity in digital tools and technologies. We examine what data governance frameworks mean for digital heritage and how they articulate with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) and the First Nations Information Governance Centre’s OCAP® principles. We propose digital tools such as open-source and mobile-ready storymaps to showcase digital heritage that is appropriate for public sharing, practices that can promote and enhance community decision-making, and create training opportunities in digital methods in Westbank First Nation. Opening a conversation around digital tools is one way that archaeologists can begin to enact Indigenous data governance as a step towards dismantling colonial structures and practice in archaeology and digital heritage.

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