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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
More info

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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Labels in Use

Frame to the left: “Labels in use: Te Roroa. First use of a BC Label on a thesis!” Screenshot of title page of thesis that includes the BC Provenance Label icon. Frame to the right: “Labels in use: Te Roroa. The thesis was deposited in the Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington institutional repository. Library staff added the digital infrastructure so that Te Roroa’s BC Provenance Label is included in the research metadata.” Screenshot of metadata showing the Te Roroa BC Provenance Label text and Hub project URL. Labels in Use

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… …
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On a decorative red background, text: “TK Labels in use: Whakatōhea Waiata App.” Below, 2 screenshots from the Waiata app showing the title screen and one of the waiata with TK Labels. Labels in Use

Labels in use: Waiata app

Jun 13, 2023 Whakatōhea Iwi in Aotearoa New Zealand has added some of their Traditional Knowledge Labels to waiata (traditional songs/chants) in the Whakatōhea Waiata App. The TK… …
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Manaaki Whenua Systems Collections Data database sample entry for CHR 469903 with 4 Local Contexts Labels and 1 Notice. Collections details including specimen type, database record, preferred name, and identification type. On right, list titled “Permissions.” Beneath, text: “Project title: Biological specimens housed at Manaaki Whenua: Te rohe o Whakatōhea,” Beneath, text: “Reference: Local Contexts - Whakatohea.” Four Label icons and titles are below: “BC Provenance (BC P) | Nā wai/ Nō hea. BC Research Use (BC R) | Rangahau. BC Open to Collaboration (BC CB) | Kotahitanga. BC Open to Commercialization (BC OC) | Umanga.” Beneath, text: “Project title: Local Contexts - Allan Herbarium (CHR)” with Local Contexts BC Notice icon. Labels in Use, Notices in Use

Labels and Notices in Manaaki Whenua

Oct 5, 2022 Last updated April 12, 2023 The first Biocultural Labels and Notices have been applied to an open biodiversity database using the Local Contexts Hub. Manaaki… …
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Black text and icon on a decorative red background. “TK & BC Labels in use. E Reo Noku – My Language.” Below is a screenshot showing the credits from one of the Oriana TV videos featuring the TK Attribution, TK Verified, TK Non Commercial, TK Outreach, and TK Open to Collaboration Labels. At the bottom is the Local Contexts logo, a black circle made of dots. Labels in Use

Labels in Use: Oriana TV

Jun 17, 2022 The Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels were recently applied in a film project produced by Aotearoa (New Zealand)-based television platform, Oriana TV, "E Reo Noku –… …
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Black text on a decorative red background: “TK & BC Labels in use. University of Tasmania.” In the Center is a decorative peach colored circle with the University of Tasmania logo at the top and black text below that states “HSS 113 Indigenous Lifeworlds: Sovereignty, Society and Justice.” Below the text are four TK Label icons. TK Attribution, TK Outreach, TK Verified, and TK Secret/Sacred. At the bottom is the Local Contexts logo, a black circle made of dots. Labels in Use

Labels in Use: University of Tasmania (UTAS)

Jun 3, 2022 Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels are customized by Indigenous communities to give specificity and context, and suit their needs. Label customization is an… …
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Black text on a decorative red background “TK & BC Labels in use. Sq'éwlets Band of the Stó:lō First Nation.” Below are two screenshots from the Sq’éwlets website showing a thumbnail of a video and the TK Family Label as a pop-up. At the bottom in black is the Local Contexts logo, a ring made of dots. Labels in Use

Labels in Use: Sq’éwlets TK Family

May 13, 2022 Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels are customized by Indigenous communities to give specificity and context, and suit their needs. Label customization is an… …
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Black text and icon on a decorative red background. “TK & BC Labels in use. As I Remember It: Teachings (Ɂəms tɑɁɑw) from the Life of a Sliammon Elder.” Below are two side-by-side screenshots from Elsie Paul’s website showing 4 TK Label icons with their accompanying customized text. Labels in Use

Labels in Use: Elsie Paul

Apr 6, 2022 Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels are customized by Indigenous communities to give specificity and context, and suit their needs. Label customization is an… …
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Three Image blocks. Image 1 - Black text and icon on a decorative red background. “TK & BC Labels in use. Passamaquoddy Tribe.” Below is a screenshot showing three TK Label icons.At the bottom is the Local Contexts logo, a black circle made of dots. Image 2 - Black text and icon on a decorative red background. “TK & BC Labels in use. Passamaquoddy Tribe.” Below is a screenshot from the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s website showing a catalog entry. Visible on the right hand side are three TK Label icons. At the bottom is “from PassamaquoddyPeoples.com”. Image 3 - Black text and icon on a decorative red background. “TK & BC Labels in use. Passamaquoddy Tribe.” Below is a screenshot from the Library of Congress’s website showing a catalog entry. Visible on the right hand side are three TK Label icons. At the bottom is “from Library of Congress”. Labels in Use

TK Label in use: Passamaquoddy

Mar 18, 2022 The Passamaquoddy Tribe utilizes Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels on their Passamaquoddy Peoples’ Knowledge Portal website to connect their community to their cultural heritage, and to… …
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On red background, in white text: “Oma Traditional Textile Design Database. Securing Cultural Intellectual Property Rights for the Oma Ethnic Group of Laos.” Labels in Use

Read how the Oma People in Laos are integrating the Labels into their own Traditional Knowledge work

Sep 20, 2021 Within the Database, "In addition to standard archive metadata, including a unique identification format of each piece of content, all content is tagged with a… …
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Thumbnail for Whakatōhea TK Labels presentation video showing a still with five seated people on a decorative background. Labels in Use

Whakatōhea Traditional Knowledge Labels Presentation

Sep 9, 2021 This presentation by Whakatōhea showcases how they implemented the Traditional Knowledge Labels for their Iwi. They share some fun strategies to teach the Labels through… …
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Screenshot of Sípnuuk Digital Library, Archives, and Museum homepage showing a closely cropped photograph of multiple baskets. Labels in Use

Karuk Tribe TK Labels

Nov 23, 2020 Local Contexts is working together with the Karuk Tribe to design intellectual property strategies with agreements for researchers; to develop transfer of ownership forms for… …
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Screenshot of Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal homepage showing a grid of 8 Tribal paths, Séliš u Ql̓ispé, Nimíipuu (Nez Perce), Yakama, Confederated Tribes of Wam Springs, Umatilla, spoqín (Spokan), Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene). Labels in Use

Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal TK Labels

Nov 23, 2020 The Plateau Peoples’ Web Portal — a collaboration between the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Confederated Tribes Of the Colville Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of… …
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