Indigenous Placemaking, Colonial Placetaking, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Implications of environmental data collection on Tribal lands

Author

Paige Nizhonii Kya'iyo Johnson, The University Of MontanaFollow

Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Professional Paper

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Environmental Studies

Department or School/College

Environmental Studies

Committee Chair

Dr. Kyle Bocinsky

Commitee Members

Dr. Paul Guernsey, Jennifer Harrington

Keywords

Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Indigenous Placemaking, Environmental Data, Indigenous Land Management, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Upper Missouri River Basin

Subject Categories

Environmental Studies

Abstract

This project investigates how Indigenous Data Sovereignty protocols apply to environmental data collected on Tribal lands by federal and state entities. The 2011 and 2014 flooding of the Missouri River and a need for further soil moisture data led the United States Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District to implement a Mesonet weather station monitoring network across the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB). Historically, the Army Corps of Engineers has not included Indigenous perspectives into their decision-making, and this has caused Tribes to be distrustful of partnerships with them. The UMRB monitoring network will span across the Upper Missouri River Basin and with over thirty Tribes calling the area home, there is much potential for weather stations to be installed on Tribal lands. Considering this, we must understand how state Mesonets are working with Tribes to site, implement, and manage weather stations. Increased environmental data collection on Tribal lands requires a discussion of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the long-term plan for data to ensure that Tribes are not once again being exploited.

Interviews were conducted with state Mesonets and United States Army Corps of Engineers officials focused on their work with the UMRB monitoring network, partnerships with Tribes, data sharing and use protocols, and the role Tribal input and environmental data has on future policy and decision-making. Analyses of interviews indicated most federal and state officials express a desire to work with Tribal partners, but there are few guidelines in place to do so and collaboration with Tribes is not a consistent priority. A range of Tribal engagement was documented, from prioritizing Tribal collaborations to deliberatively selecting sites that did not require direct Tribal input. Several state Mesonets expressed an interest in developing data infrastructure, Tribally-specific data tools, and providing further training in collaboration with Tribal colleges. This research project discusses how Indigenous Data Sovereignty and environmental data collected on Tribal lands can be used to argue for continuous Tribal participation and consultation in land management plans and decision-making and overall further Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.

Recommended Citation

Johnson, Paige Nizhonii Kya'iyo, "Indigenous Placemaking, Colonial Placetaking, and Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Implications of environmental data collection on Tribal lands" (2025). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12565.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12565