Native BioData Consortium

10/01/2026

THIS SATURDAY: a free event for all ages to learn and share their thoughts about where the future is headed, featuring:
- Roundtable with Lakota experts in tech, food & data sovereignty
- Childcare for ages 2- 12 with STEM and art activities
- Tech Trivia with solar-powered 🌞 prizes
- A Tech Help Booth for people to get help with tech
- Bingo and broadcast with DJ Siouxpernatural from KIPI Radio
- Dinner catered by WÓYUTE
- Grand Prize drawings!

09/26/2026

We wholeheartedly congratulate and give our support to Dr. Lydia Johnson this monumental piece of work. Indigenous data sovereignty is a real thing! I hope it’s not too late for tribal nations to protect themselves.

Who controls Indigenous knowledge when it enters the world of acade...

09/23/2026

This is fantastic. The Assembly of First Nations, the First Nations Information Governance Centre and the Ontario Chiefs have been progressively and rapidly moving forward on these Genomic, DNA, Data and Economic issues. Great to see!

(Toronto – Ont. – September 23, 2026) Chiefs of Ontario (COO) have launched an Open Letter to All Ontarians: Help Us Bring Our Ancestors Home, calling on people and institutions to come forward if they are holding or have information about, First Nations Ancestors, sacred items, burial belonging...

09/23/2026

A reminder, we are a non-profit organization that relies on philanthropy and tribal grassroots support to protect ALL THAT IS PRECIOUS to Indigenous people, their Primacy, their Sovereignty and their continuity of culture for the next 7 generations

A short explication of why Indigenous Data Sovereignty matters and ...

09/23/2026

Today, a minor table correction was published on this fantastic paper from CEIGR (NativeBio as a co-author and contributor). If you missed, now is your chance to read it.

IntroductionIn the United States (US), Tribes are sovereign nations and have the right to oversee research conducted with Tribal citizens. However, it is unc...

09/23/2026

Shout out to one of genius partners, Nicole Bowman of Bowman Professional Consulting!! Go check her and her great company out!

09/23/2026

URGENT: Tribal Nations are encouraged to review proposed changes to the 2030 Census and make their voices heard.
The U.S. Census Bureau has proposed regulations that would fundamentally change how the census counts people across the United States. Of particular concern, the proposed rule would remove race and ethnicity questions, eliminating critical data about American Indian and Alaska Native populations.

Census data help determine political representation, inform federal funding decisions, and guide planning for housing, community development, maternal health, transportation, and other essential programs and services. These proposed changes could have significant consequences for Tribal Nations and Native communities.

The Census Bureau will hold a virtual Tribal consultation for Tribal leaders and officially designated representatives:
Friday, October 2, 2026
3:00–4:30 p.m. ET

The public comment deadline is October 13. Tribal Nations and Tribal-serving organizations have until November 2 to submit comments.

Read the Dear Tribal Leader Letter: https://hubs.la/Q04xX5ty0

Register for the consultation: https://hubs.la/Q04xX5sK0

Submit comments through https://hubs.la/Q04xX5tz0 by searching docket USBC-2026-0628.

Please share this information with Tribal leaders and the appropriate staff within your Tribal Nation. Questions may be directed to [email protected].

09/23/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Kianna Big Crow (Oglála Thítȟuŋwaŋ) to the team as our new Outreach and Communications Coordinator!

Kianna Big Crow is Oglála Lakȟóta from the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. In May of 2026, she earned her Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland, building on her B.A. in Economics and Native American and Indigenous Studies from the University of Minnesota-Morris.

During her time at Morris, Kianna worked closely with the Pine Ridge-based, Očéti Wakȟáŋ curriculum, supporting efforts to bring Lakota/Dakota/Nakota history, cultures, and perspectives into classrooms across South Dakota. This experience shaped her commitment to Indigenous education and strengthened her belief in the importance of preserving and advancing Indigenous knowledge through educational and institutional spaces.

That commitment has continued to guide her work as a scholar and advocate. Her graduate research for the National Indian Education Association examined the implementation of the Johnson-O’Malley program and the ways federal Indian education policy, funding, and tribal governance intersect and affect Native students and communities. Across her work, Kianna is passionate about tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and ensuring Indigenous communities have the opportunity to shape the decisions that affect their futures.

09/23/2026

Rivers sustain Native cultures, economies, food sources, spiritual practices, and lifeways.

On , we recognize that protecting rivers must include respecting Tribal sovereignty, upholding Tribal water rights, and ensuring Tribal Nations have a meaningful role in decisions affecting their waters.

09/23/2026

Calling all Native nations!

The deadline to participate in the current round of the Native nations survey is October 16, 2026.

Every Tribal government has different priorities for its fiscal data, and different requirements for how that data should be shared and stewarded. This survey is designed to accommodate those differences while empowering Tribes to shape their participation around the questions and data that matter most to them.

We wanted to highlight this important work to defend data sovereignty and encourage folks to visit https://www.minneapolisfed.org/indiancountry/survey-of-native-nations to learn more.