Rethinking justice in Indigenous research data: relinquishing ownership, assuming relational accountability

Drawing on a reflexive account of navigating institutional Research Ethics Boards as a settler scholar, this paper highlights the structural friction between Western administrative compliance and Indigenous data sovereignty. Over decades, Indigenous peoples and organisations have advocated for research data ownership against neo-colonial power. The First Nations' (in Canada) OCAP® principles state that data relating to Indigenous Peoples must be owned and controlled by the community, granting decision-making powers over access and conditions to safeguard against misuse and misinterpretation. However, Indigenous claims over research data extend beyond technical ownership or epistemological considerations. They fundamentally challenge the Western academic paradigm of possessive individualism and epistemic extraction. Instead, Indigenous personhood is centred on relationality, a profound relationship to the land, each other and the world, alongside deep interdependence and accountability. Grounded in these ontological differences, this paper argues that rethinking data governance is vital for achieving relational justice and epistemic equity. It concludes by recommending that institutions prioritise relational accountability over institutional power and profit.