Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A research paper on traditional fire management co-authored with named First Nations elders and the relevant community, with benefit-sharing agreements in place
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
Citing Indigenous-published ecological knowledge without consent or community engagement is appropriation, not legitimate contribution credit
Editorial commentary
Indigenous knowledge holder contribution is substantive input to research from Indigenous knowledge keepers, elders, or community members who hold and share traditional knowledge, ecological observation, language, or cultural expertise relevant to the work. Credit for this contribution must be given on terms the community itself sets — collective community attribution, individually named credit with consent, or co-authorship — rather than terms the researcher unilaterally decides, in line with the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance.
How it differs from related terms: It shares the CARE-versus-FAIR framing common to data-governance concepts on this site, but differs from patient partner contribution and citizen scientist contribution in that the terms of engagement itself — not just the credit outcome — are set by the community’s own governance protocols, including benefit-sharing and the right to withdraw or refuse use of knowledge already shared.
Using Indigenous-held ecological or cultural knowledge without consent or community engagement, even where it has been previously published elsewhere, is treated as appropriation rather than a legitimate basis for contribution credit.
References
- Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA), CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance (2019)
- UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007)
Also known as
Traditional knowledge holder contribution · Elder contribution
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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