INDIGENOUS DATA SOVEREIGNTY
“In January, Kimberly Murray, Special Interlocutor for missing children and unmarked graves, convened the third of a series of national gatherings. The focus of the meeting was Indigenous data sovereignty. As undocumented graves continue to be discovered at Indian Residential School sites, and as communities seek records related to unmarked graves, the issue of the ownership, access and control of Residential School records has emerged. Murray observed that Indigenous data sovereignty was vital in ensuring that “Indigenous values, rights, [and] interests,” inform decision making about these records.
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre’s Interim Executive Director, Kristin Kozar, presented at the conference. She noted that colonial frameworks and policies had kept Residential School records out of reach of most Indigenous communities and she called for legislative reform that prioritized communities’ sovereign rights. Kozar drew attention to the growing number of archives in Indigenous communities, a trend that ensured archives were “accountable to their own citizens in the use and management of community information.”
Image source: CBC. Used with permission.
Latest News
- Executive Director Kristin Kozar discusses the work of the IRSHDC and its forthcoming Open HouseThe Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) is opening its doors to the UBC Vancouver community to highlight its important role on campus. Ahead of the first Open House on April 15, we spoke with Executive Director, Kristin Kozar about how the IRSHDC staff support Residential School Survivors… Read more: Executive Director Kristin Kozar discusses the work of the IRSHDC and its forthcoming Open House
- Join us at our Open House!On behalf of the leadership at the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, we would like to invite you to our Open House on April 15, 2pm-5pm. Over light snacks and refreshments, Kristin Kozar, Executive Director of the IRSHDC, will be speaking about the Centre, our programs, research initiatives… Read more: Join us at our Open House!
- Self-Guided Tours Now Available at IRSHDCThe Centre is excited to announce that visitors can now take a self-guided tour of our space. These tours will allow you to learn about the building itself as well as the tools and resources in our gallery space. Self-guided tour manuals are available to be picked up at the… Read more: Self-Guided Tours Now Available at IRSHDC
- Statement Regarding the Blue Quills First Nation Research Findings at the Site of the Former Sacred Heart Residential SchoolJanuary 25, 2024, The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (the Centre) shares in deep sadness about the disclosure of a communal grave at the former site of the Sacred Heart Residential School in Blue Quills First Nation. On January 24, Leah Redcrow, CEO of Acimowin Opaspiw Society along… Read more: Statement Regarding the Blue Quills First Nation Research Findings at the Site of the Former Sacred Heart Residential School
- UBC Chancellor, IAC Chair Steven Point appointed to Order of CanadaIRSHDC would like to congratulate the honourable Steven Point on his appointment to the Order of Canada. Steven Point is a member of the Skowkale First Nation. He is UBC’s current Chancellor. Chancellor Point is the current chair of the Indigenous Advisory Committee, which guides the IRSHDC and ensures that… Read more: UBC Chancellor, IAC Chair Steven Point appointed to Order of Canada
The records offer diverse perspectives (former students, officials, journalists, scholars) and include Survivor testimonies, Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, photographs, maps, government documents, church documents, and newspaper articles.
Responding to Survivors’ desire to have a single point of access to residential school records, the Centre provides access to an online database containing digital copies of records from partner organizations. This single access point brings together records that are otherwise dispersed online and in physical spaces.
The Centre is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam people). We are privileged to work with the Musqueam First Nation and the Musqueam Archives as community partners.
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