Blog

Upcoming Events

Local Contexts Hub Information Session

June 23, 2026
, 17:00 UTC

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!

Cultural Institution Working Group meeting

June 25, 2026
, 19:00 UTC

We look forward to connecting for another Cultural Institution Working Group meeting on June 25th, UTC! For this meeting, we have heard that many of our newer group members would appreciate an overview of the work that Local Contexts does, and some updates about new and different programs. If you have been following Local Contexts …

State of the World’s Plants and Fungi Symposium

June 29, 2026 - July 1, 2026
 

Local Contexts Strategic Advisor Maui Hudson (Whakatōhea) will present as part of the State of the World’s Plants and Fungi Symposium, online and in-person at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, UK. On July 1 UTC, Maui will present “Acknowledging local contexts: Recognising Indigenous knowledge and provenance as part of the biocultural value of collections” …

ESA 2026

July 25, 2026 - July 31, 2026
 

The Local Contexts team will present at the Ecological Society of America (ESA) 2026 Annual Meeting, held in-person in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Outreach Manager Emily Santhanam (Chickasaw) will present “Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Ecology: Leveraging Local Contexts Tools in Research for Recognition, Bridge-building, and Recompense” with Andy Rominger, researcher at the University …

Genomic Standards Consortium 2026

August 12, 2026 - August 14, 2026
 

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, Strategic Advisor Maui …

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Highlighting Indigenous Cultural Authority: Local Contexts’ November Conference Presentations

Nov 19, 2024 Last week, Local Contexts had the honor of presenting at two major conferences: the Research Data Alliance (RDA) 23rd Plenary Meeting in San José, Costa…

​​Science Magazine Highlights the CARE Principles and Local Contexts’ Tools

Nov 5, 2024 A recent Science magazine article highlights the importance of Indigenous data sovereignty in research, showcasing the CARE Principles and Local Contexts’ Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural…

Welcoming Rose Barrowcliffe, Community Councilor

Nov 1, 2024 We are excited to announce that Rose Barrowcliffe has joined Local Contexts as a Community Councilor Member! Rose (Butchulla-Wonamutta) holds a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in…

​​A Cultural Survival Interview with Katie Lee Riddle: Protecting Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Digital Sequence Information

Oct 31, 2024 Cultural Survival recently published an interview with Māori researcher Katie Lee Riddle (Rongowhakaata) where she discusses the critical risks posed by Digital Sequence Information to…

Notices in use: Wise Ancestors

Oct 30, 2024 We’re thrilled to announce that Wise Ancestors has joined the Local Contexts Hub and is using the Open to Collaborate Notice on their homepage to…

Welcoming Amy June Breesman, Help Desk Lead

Oct 29, 2024 We are excited to announce that Amy June Breesman (she/her) has joined Local Contexts as our Help Desk Lead! Amy June (Eastern Shawnee/German/Irish) is passionate…

Supporting Indigenous Relationships and Acknowledgements in Scientific Research with BC Labels

Oct 28, 2024 Indigenous Peoples have the right to make decisions about the future use of information, biological collections, data, and digital sequence information that derives from associated…

Welcoming Seth Kurke, Communications & Marketing Lead

Oct 15, 2024 We are excited to announce that Seth Kurke has joined Local Contexts as the Communications & Marketing Lead. Seth (Blackfeet/European descendant) is dedicated to advancing…

Notices in use: Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

Sep 18, 2024 The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields is using Open to Collaborate, Attribution Incomplete, BC, and TK Notices in its online collections portal. The Notices…

The Power of Ten: Celebrating our First 10 Subscribers!

Aug 27, 2024 AUTHOR Dr. Stephany RunningHawk JohnsonFounding Executive Director, Local Contexts The journey to support Indigenous data sovereignty is a multi-generational effort. We are working to ensure…

New policy brief on recognizing Indigenous provenance in metadata

Aug 19, 2024 “Recognizing Indigenous Interests: Labeling DSI with Provenance Metadata” highlights how the Local Contexts Labels and Notices are becoming essential tools for recognizing Indigenous provenance, protocols,…

Reflecting on Sustainability: My First Six Months as Local Contexts Executive Director

Jul 25, 2024 Caption: Photo of Dr. Stephany RunningHawk Johnson at the Creative Commons Workshop held in Lisbon in May 2024 AUTHOR Dr. Stephany RunningHawk JohnsonFounding Executive Director,…

We are hiring!

Jul 19, 2024 Join our team! Visit our Jobs page for more information on how to apply.

Stopping Biocultural Appropriation Press Release

Jun 18, 2024 The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced an important new Treaty regarding intellectual property, genetic resources, and traditional knowledge.

Label in Use: Te Roroa

Jun 17, 2024 Te Roroa, a Māori Iwi from the region between the Kaipara Harbour and the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, Aotearoa New Zealand, has a number of…

Welcoming Founding Supporter Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

Jun 14, 2024 AUTHOR Dr. Stephany RunningHawk JohnsonFounding Executive Director, Local Contexts Local Contexts has made great strides in our work to create a sustainable platform dedicated to…

Ethical Open Science for Past Global Change FAIROS RCN Webinar

Jun 12, 2024 On May 21, 2024, Local Contexts team members presented a webinar for the Ethical Open Science for Past Global Change FAIROS RCN. The webinar shared…

Notice in Use: Coe Center

Jun 7, 2024 The Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts is using Open to Collaborate Notices on its website, including on its collections page and in its…

Practical Approaches to Reparative Description Workshop Series: Local Contexts

Apr 25, 2024 On April 25, 2024, Local Contexts team members presented a webinar for the Digital Public Library of America’s Practical Approaches to Reparative Description Workshop Series.…

Service Provider Early Adopter Program

Apr 4, 2024 AUTHOR Dr. Stephany RunningHawk JohnsonFounding Executive Director, Local Contexts Local Contexts launched our Hub platform in beta in October 2021. Since then, we have welcomed…

February 2024 Hub Updates

Feb 15, 2024 The Local Contexts Hub received a major update on February 14, 2024 (UTC). The update introduces Label and Notice embedding, Label template translations, new registration…

Welcoming ARAS Press Release

Feb 7, 2024 Local Contexts welcomes the Arkansas Archeological Survey as its first subscribing organization. 

Consent, Disclose, Return Press Release

Jan 26, 2024 New rules have entered into effect affirming what Indigenous Peoples have always known: they continue to hold sovereign rights to their lands, knowledges, and cultural…

Local Contexts Hub Maintenance

Dec 18, 2023 Starting January 17, 2024 UCT, the Local Contexts Hub will have scheduled service that could put it into maintenance mode for an extended time. This…