Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Digital Cultural Heritage: Collective Stewardship for Global Governance

This study examines how Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) catalyses social transformation by reclaiming control over digital cultural heritage (DCH) and disrupting existing colonial heritage and data regimes. Utilising a socio-legal analysis of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), along with museum and Indigenous data governance policies and practices, this research explores the legal foundations, strategies, and challenges involved in implementing IDSov for DCH. The findings illustrate how IDSov challenges colonial frameworks that treat heritage and data as intellectual and physical property, replacing them with a model grounded in collective stewardship. This approach not only unsettles entrenched colonial narratives but also provides a robust alternative to corporate and state-driven data governance, promoting epistemic and data justice on a global scale. Furthermore, the study underscores the critical role of sovereignty over digital infrastructures and material resources – beyond mere data – in advancing IDSov.