Indigenous Nationhood, Sovereignty and Linked Data: A Wikidata Case Study Examination of the Métis Nation

Abstract

This chapter presents a critical analysis and discussion of ethical tensions in the documentation of Indigenous identity firstly through a discussion of concepts of identity, nationhood, and peoplehood, particularly in relation to the Métis Nation, and secondly through a case study of the description of the Métis Nation within the open, structured data knowledge base Wikidata. The scope of the discussion is centered primarily in the country now known as Canada and is nation-specific; however, the larger ethical issues can be related to other situations. Naming is vitally interconnected to nationhood—to liberation and self-determination—and implementations do not necessarily benefit Indigenous communities. Labels alone without locating such terms into a larger framework of Indigenous liberation do not do the necessary work to support such ambitions and community responsibilities.