Boozhoo News River Readers,

First, if you attended … thanks for coming to #DataBack Day! We had an incredible time hosting you all in our digital space and we’re already looking forward to next year! 

Next week the Animikii & Niiwin team will be at the Indigenous History and Heritage Gathering (IHHG) in Winnipeg, if you’re there come swing by the table for a special printed edition of News River we created for the event. We’re really proud to be sponsors of this event.

This week’s stories include: 

• An important story about the digitization of Day School records that will be of interest to anyone working in the field of Truth and Reconciliation Data 

• A Special #DataBack Day Report on the challenges and successes of the Indigenous Data Sovereignty movement, recapping the questions for and responses from our speakers. 

• A compelling data story emerged from a new study has shown that colonial water systems operators in Canada have few participatory processes that give that consideration to Indigenous values and knowledge, and even fewer evaluate Indigenous participation.

Special Feature

#DataBack Day: What We Learned

The big picture: On February 20, Niiwin and our community data partner Wabusk Data Solutions hosted the first #DataBack Day, bringing 100+ people from across Turtle Island together to get specific about what it takes to move Indigenous data back into Indigenous hands.

Why it matters: Communities are done waiting for permission. They're building governance, moving off corporate platforms, labelling cultural collections, and searching archives for records that colonial systems tried to erase. This event put the people doing that work in one room.

Key points:

• Start with values, not software. Wabusk Data Solutions works with First Nations to build data governance grounded in community teachings. Their advice: don't start with a platform. Start with a conversation about what governance means to your Nation.

• Know the full “tech stack”. Jeff Doctor mapped every layer of digital infrastructure that sovereignty depends on, from mined resources to data centres to devices. 

• Your tools matter. Here at Animikii and Niiwin we've moved to Matomo, Buttondown, and other privacy-respecting alternatives. Participants shared a full list of open-source replacements for Google, Zoom, Salesforce, Airtable, and more; it's in the full blog post in a special resource section.

• Labels are changing institutional relationships. Local Contexts' Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels now appear on 2 million+ pieces of data across 600+ institutions, giving communities a way to assert governance over cultural collections held by others.

We also heard how data reclamation is personal. Our keynote speaker Tanya Talaga told the story behind The Knowing, tracing her family through government archives that once denied her grandmother existed.

Read the whole post at Niwiin.app. 

Curated Articles

Library and Archives Canada wraps up digitization of 6 million Indian day school records

Library and Archives Canada is wrapping up one of its largest digitization projects after processing roughly six million federal Indian day school records. The $25 million project began in 2022 and is expected to be completed in March. “There's so much reparation work that needs to be done in terms of reconciliation but I think this is a step towards that," said Beth Greenhorn, a manager of the Day Schools Project. The goal was to increase the discoverability of archival documents related to the federal Indian day schools system and its legacy. Like residential schools, day schools were federally funded and often church run, with the aim of assimilating First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth into mainstream Canadian society. An estimated 200,000 pupils attended nearly 700 day schools, operating between the 1860s and 2000. Greenhorn said digitizing thousands of boxes of archival documents spanning the 1800s to the 2000s was daunting, their biggest project since the First World War digitization initiative in 2018. She said digitizing 600,000 service files of former military service men and women was easier because all of those files were located in the same area in the vault and organized alphabetically.

U of R mental health app adopted by Indigenous police service

The Psychological Trauma and Stress Systems Lab at the University of Regina has developed an evidence-based mental health screening and self-monitoring app that is now being adopted by the United Chiefs & Councils of Manitoulin (UCCM) Anishnaabe Police Service in Ontario to support the well-being of first responders, other public safety personnel, and trauma-exposed professionals.

Developed in 2025 by the PTSS Lab in partnership with WorkSafe Saskatchewan, the app provides access to a confidential system for personnel to screen for post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns through daily and monthly check-ins, as well as an annual self-assessment. Based on their results, users receive personalized recommendations for mental health support, helping them access the right resources at the right time. “Our members face unique and demanding challenges every day, and their well-being is our top priority,” said James Killeen, Chief of UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service. “Healthy responders mean stronger service to our community, and we’re proud to be the first Indigenous police service to adopt this innovative program.”

Raven Indigenous fund closes at $32M, eyes first B.C. investments

Investments in B.C. Indigenous projects could come soon now that Raven Indigenous Outcomes Funds Inc. has closed its Raven Indigenous Outcomes Fund I, with $32.2 million. Jeff Cyr, founder and managing partner, told BIV Thursday that his company is involved in "active due diligence" related to two potential investments with Indigenous communities in B.C. His company first launched the fund with more than $20 million invested in late 2024, and it has made five investments totalling around $8 million, he said. None of those were in B.C., added Cyr, who has 11 employees, including three based in B.C. A recent capital raise to the fund generated between $12 million and $13 million in new money, which came from CAP Finance Social Finance Fund, the Northpine Foundation, the Eclipx Family Office and other investors, Cyr said. "This fund, as part of its investment strategy, is focused on climate adaptation, or what we call the health of Mother Earth, and the health of Indigenous people," Cyr said. Investments by the fund are not made to buy equity stakes nor do they take the form of loans. Rather, they are done through what Cyr described as service agreements.

Indigenous artist slams Ontario premier's basket weaving comments

A third-generation Indigenous basket maker is setting the record straight about his craft — it's a part of his culture, it's valuable, and artists can make a living off of it. On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford defended his government's changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program, which lowered the maximum amount of grant money students will be eligible to receive toward their tuition from 85 per cent to 25 per cent. Ford said students are "picking basket weaving courses, and there’s not too many baskets being sold out there.” Instead, they should be investing into their futures and in-demand jobs, he said. "He doesn't know what he's talking about," said Spencer Lunham Jr. of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, northwest of London, who has more than three decades of experience in the craft. "It's actually disrespectful to the people that live it every day." Lunham crafts both utility-style baskets and traditional fancy baskets, he said, with the latter featuring colourful, intricate designs that require a lot of thoughtful planning before weaving.

Federal investment helps cultivate Indigenous circular economy

Managing organic waste can be costly, land-intensive, and difficult for many rural and Indigenous communities, particularly when it attracts unwanted wildlife. New clean technology is addressing these problems by turning organic waste into valuable resources that support food production, job creation, and sustainable economic growth. Today, the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development), on behalf of the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), announced an investment of $855,000 through PrairiesCan for Cowessess Ventures Ltd. (CVL) to build a rapid composting and bio-fertilizer facility on Cowessess First Nation (Cowessess). CVL is working in partnership with B-Nature Biotech (B-Nature) and Pro Metal Industries (Pro Metal) to develop an Indigenous-led circular economy initiative that combines advanced organic waste management, local food production, and Indigenous-owned manufacturing. As part of the project, CVL will also install and operate a growing dome for year-round food production. Compost and fertilizer produced through the rapid composting system will provide low-cost nutrients to boost greenhouse and agricultural production.

A systematic review of Indigenous peoples’ participation in dominant systems of water governance

Indigenous peoples’ rights and responsibilities to water are routinely undermined by dominant or colonial water governance systems. Although the importance of engaging Indigenous peoples in water governance is recognized, few studies have assessed the extent or nature of their participation. Here we present a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on Indigenous participation in dominant water governance, analysing 226 journal articles and 183 case studies.

Few participatory processes give consideration to Indigenous values and knowledge, and even fewer evaluate Indigenous participation, making it difficult to determine whether such participation was meaningful. Participation in international water governance processes is evident but remains underexamined in the literature. Crucially, Indigenous peoples are influencing and reshaping dominant water governance at all levels. Participation is widely considered an essential tenet of good water governance, with the potential of facilitating inclusion of diverse knowledge systems and values in decision-making processes.