Operationalising Indigenous data sovereignty in environmental research and governance

1. Understanding Indigenous Australian governance—research, theory and representations

In the midst of the huddle one figure stands out. He is an Aboriginal man dressed in an old suit, dogs at his side ... A report from the Canberra Times referred to him as ‘a lone representative of a fast vanishing race’ who had come only to salute ‘visiting Royalty’. His name was Jimmy Clements. Whitefellas, as was their way, referred to him as ‘King Billy’. On seeing Clements, a policeman imme...

Indigenous Governance in Melanesia

Along with recent widely publicized problems of Melanesian states comes renewed interest in “customary modes of governance.” Although talk of custom now fl ows easily in discussions of political reform in the region, few of these discussions make any serious use of the extensive anthropological literature on the politics of “tradition.” The fact that custom now crosses lines of academic and pol...

The Contemporary Revival and Diffusion of Indigenous Sovereignty Discourse

The concept of sovereignty currently dominates Indigenous affairs in the United States. The advancement and defense of sovereignty is quite arguably tribal nations' number one agenda, and sovereignty is a persistent focus of tribes' political, economic, legal, and social action. Sovereignty undergirds tribal gaming, natural resource management, and a wide variety of jurisdictional and political...

Sovereignty conditions and governance modes: An option theory approach

The Importance of Indigenous Knowledge and Good Governance to Ensuring Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessments

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process by which the benefits of development are weighed against its environmental costs. Since indigenous communities are the principal environmental stewards of their land, it is imperative that they are consulted and play an active part in the EIA process. Their input can help to correct a scientific analysis that “misrepresents the local context...