Grounding Indigenous Rights

What is Local Contexts?

Local Contexts is a global initiative that supports Indigenous communities with tools that can reassert cultural authority in heritage collections and data. By focusing on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property and Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Local Contexts helps Indigenous communities repatriate knowledge and gain control over how data is collected, managed, displayed, accessed, and used in the future.

Local Contexts recognizes the inherent sovereignty that Indigenous communities have over knowledge and data that comes from their lands, territories, and waters.

Local Contexts Labels and Notices were created to ground intellectual and cultural property rights in cultural heritage, data, and genetic resources within digital environments.

The Labels and Notices are generated and managed using the Local Contexts Hub.

Indigenous communities

reinforce rights by applying TK and BC Labels

Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels establish Indigenous cultural authority and governance over Indigenous data and collections by adding provenance information and contextual metadata (including community names), protocols, and permissions for access, use, and circulation.

Institutions and researchers

disclose interests by placing Notices

Black square with the letters BC in the middle in white.

Notices are tools for institutions, repositories, and researchers to support ethical use and reinforce relationships with Indigenous communities. They also work to educate the public around Indigenous rights and interests in historical and future collections and data.

What is the Local Contexts Hub?

The Local Contexts Hub is a web portal that enables the customization of Labels by Indigenous communities and the generation of Notices by institutions and researchers. Labels and Notices can be applied to Local Contexts Projects created within the Hub depending on the account type.

Community

Community accounts can customize TK and BC Labels to display local and traditional protocols. The Labels are used as digital signifiers to explain how Indigenous history and culture is accessed and used going forward. These Labels can be attached by community accounts to Local Contexts Projects.

Institution

Institution accounts can apply Notices to Local Contexts Projects. Local Contexts Projects document information about a particular item, collection, sample, etc. Applying Notices allows institutions to engage acknowledge, and make visible Indigenous interests in collections, information, and data.

Researcher

Researcher accounts are specifically for independent researchers. Researcher accounts are very similar to institution accounts but only have one member, the account creator. Researchers can apply Notices to Local Contexts Projects that document particular data or research you may have conducted.

Hub Users

51

Communities

58

Institutions

194

Researchers

34

Countries

News and Updates

2024-2025 Annual Report

May 13, 2026 We are excited to share our 2024-2025 Annual Report, our organization’s first public-facing report of this kind.  After a welcome from Executive Director Hop Hopkins,…

Aotearoa Genomic Data Repository joins Local Contexts as one of our first certified Integration Partners

May 13, 2026 Local Contexts is excited to welcome Aotearoa Genomic Data Repository (AGDR) as a certified Integration Partner on the Local Contexts Hub. “We are thrilled to…

Niiwin #DataBack Day

Mar 20, 2026 On February 20, 2026, Local Contexts team members presented as a part of #DataBack Day, an online convening hosted by Niiwin, the community-focused data platform…

First global standard on Indigenous Peoples’ data

Jan 8, 2026 The newly adopted “IEEE Recommended Practice for Provenance of Indigenous Peoples' Data,” is the first-ever international standard that calls for “appropriate disclosure of Indigenous peoples’…

Upcoming Events

Local Contexts Hub Information Session

December 2, 2026
, 22:00 UTC
“Information Session.” Text on decorative blue-green background.

Do you have questions about Local Contexts or the Local Contexts Hub? Curious about how you can use the Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels and Notices to support Indigenous data sovereignty and cultural authority? Sign-up for a group informational or Hub demonstration session with the Local Contexts team!

Local Contexts Hub Information Session

October 14, 2026
, 19:00 UTC
“Information Session.” Text on decorative blue-green background.

Do you have questions about Local Contexts or the Local Contexts Hub? Curious about how you can use the Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels and Notices to support Indigenous data sovereignty and cultural authority? Sign-up for a group informational or Hub demonstration session with the Local Contexts team!

ATALM 2026

September 21, 2026 - September 25, 2026
 
“Presentations and events” on decorative background.

The Local Contexts team will be attending and presenting at the 2026 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museum held September 21-25 in Spokane, Washington, United States. The team is currently slotted to present a half-day pre-conference workshop on the Local Contexts tools for Indigenous communities, and a session with collaborators from the Indianapolis …

Genomic Standards Consortium 2026

August 12, 2026 - August 14, 2026
 
“Presentations and events” on decorative background.

Local Contexts team members will present at the 26th International Meeting of the Genomics Standards Consortium in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand. This GSC meeting will bring together researchers, data stewards, and standards developers to examine how genomic repositories can support responsible, interoperable, and culturally grounded uses of AI.  On August 12 NZT, Executive Director Hop …