Cosmovision Of Data: An Indigenous Approach to Technologies for Self-Determination

Title of the Paper

Cosmovision of Data: An Indigenous Approach to Technologies for Self-Determination

Paper Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Data Ethics, Decolonial Technologies, Indigenous Participatory Design
• Keywords: Decoloniality, Pluriverse, Indigenous Technologies, Data Systems, Self-Determination, Design Research, Community Technologies, Collaborative Data Systems, Latin America

Research Background and Problem

• Issues and Challenges:

  • Existing technologies and data systems are often rooted in Western and Global North perspectives, lacking the diversity to incorporate Indigenous worldviews and values.
  • Mainstream technologies can be intrusive, threatening the language, culture, and identity of Indigenous communities.
  • Data colonialism replicates the exploitative logic of capitalism, failing to adequately respect Indigenous rights to self-determination.

• Significance:

  • Data and technologies that embrace diverse worldviews can provide frameworks for more sustainable design approaches.
  • Indigenous cosmovision and knowledge can inspire the diversification of technological and data systems.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • Previous studies have emphasized participatory design to involve Indigenous communities in technology development, yet many technologies remain centered on extractive design paradigms.
  • This study focuses on how the Masewal Indigenous community in Mexico participates in cooperative technology design to support self-determination and community development.

Solution

• Proposed Method or Solution:

  • Through a collaborative research project, the authors integrate the Masewal community's cosmovision into the HCI field by developing three lenses—micro-cosmos, meso-cosmos, and macro-cosmos—to explore Indigenous approaches to technology construction:
    • Micro-cosmos: Data as a non-extractive resource embedded in everyday practices of individuals and communities, connected to the material and experiential world.
    • Meso-cosmos: Emphasizing community-led autonomous development and control of technologies as a medium for self-governance and solidarity.
    • Macro-cosmos: Integrating data and technology into broader world-building and pluriverse agendas, embracing diverse knowledge systems and ecological perspectives.

• Innovative Contributions:

  • Establishing cosmovision as a foundational design framework, combining technology with Indigenous perspectives on nature and care practices to explore new possibilities for data and system design.
  • Highlighting the role of communities as leaders in technology and data system development, fostering collaboration to protect culture and ecology while moving beyond colonial technological structures.

• Implementation Steps and Techniques:

  1. Fieldwork: Semi-structured interviews with 18 Masewal community members to explore their use and perceptions of data and technology.
  2. Collaborative Workshops: A workshop with 40 participants to explore how community values can be reflected in databases and technological systems, and to design conceptual prototypes of technological "machines."
  3. Data Analysis: Integrating interview and workshop results, analyzed through the lens of cosmovision to understand their technological needs.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Results:

  • Proposed a new framework for technology based on community cosmovision, using the "micro-meso-macro" lenses to interpret the Masewal people's worldview and technological needs.
  • Developed local wireless networks (Wiki Katat) and a conceptual community database (Taewaloni) as practical examples of autonomous technologies:
    • Wiki Katat: A community-driven mobile network supporting data sovereignty.
    • Taewaloni: A conceptual database for storing and sharing data related to environmental conservation, community organization, and knowledge transmission.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions:

  • In the current decolonial HCI research landscape, this study demonstrates stronger community participation and integrates local cosmovision into technology development, surpassing Western-dominated data system design.
  • Offers a new model of data as a localized, non-capitalist, and non-extractive resource.

• Experiment or Evaluation Results:

  • Prototypes of "magical machines" designed during the workshop illustrate the community's desire for technology that serves as a tool for cultural and knowledge preservation, collective memory, and empowerment of future generations.
  • Data use and storage were envisioned as nested, non-dominating relationships.
  • Participants emphasized the need for technologies to integrate with the environment, prioritize ecological balance, and minimize energy consumption.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Language and cultural barriers prevented the research team from fully integrating into the Masewal language and context.
  • The Taewaloni project remains conceptual and requires further development and community testing for practical implementation.
  • Future research should enhance dialogue with other Indigenous communities worldwide to translate localized technological solutions into practices for a pluriverse.

Conclusion

This study provides a case for designing localized and decolonial technologies by integrating Indigenous cosmovision, offering significant theoretical and practical contributions to the HCI field. By emphasizing technology as a means of supporting self-determination and exploring new design paradigms in multicultural contexts, this research holds profound social and environmental significance.