The Manitoba First Nation will work with both organizations to determine how its historical records are prepared, governed and made available digitally. 

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Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation is partnering with CEIMIA and Animikii Indigenous Technology on an effort to prepare historical records for digital access. Announced on the margins of ALL IN Montréal, the project will see the Manitoba community work with Animikii to develop the technology while using CEIMIA's Data Sharing Roadmap to guide decisions around the information being prepared. The records are intended for use by the community and preservation for future generations. 

CEIMIA's roadmap was developed under the Global Partnership on AI to help organizations work through decisions involved in sharing data responsibly. It breaks the process into stages and different areas of consideration, giving organizations a way to assess what should happen before information is made available. CEIMIA says the roadmap has previously been piloted with three governments representing different levels of economic development and AI and digital adoption. The Sandy Bay project will put the framework to work with historical records belonging to a First Nation. 

Animikii will bring Niiwin, its data management and governance platform for Indigenous governments, nonprofits and organizations, into the project. The platform supports the collection, protection, management and analysis of information according to Indigenous governance practices, including the OCAP® principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession. The First Nations Information Governance Centre describes OCAP® as a framework through which First Nations exercise authority over how information about their communities is collected, protected, used and shared, with individual Nations applying the principles according to their own circumstances, traditions and protocols. 

Sandy Bay will work directly with Animikii as the technology is developed, with decisions around its historical information remaining part of the process. 

“Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation is deciding for themselves how our history gets recorded, who can access it, and what future generations will inherit. For me, this is what Indigenous Data Sovereignty looks like in practice and it is exactly why we are building Niiwin. We're grateful to the Community for trusting us to co-design this work with them, and to CEIMIA for bringing a data sharing roadmap that has been tested with governments and is now being improved and tested by a First Nation on its own terms.” said Jeff Ward, CEO of Animikii Indigenous Technology 

CEIMIA also sees the project as a possible first step toward helping First Nation communities develop AI models that better represent their languages and cultures. The immediate focus, however, is on preparing Sandy Bay's historical information for digital access. 

“Responsible AI and digital innovation cannot exist without trust, sovereignty and ethical stewardship at their core. By pairing GPAI’s Data Sharing Roadmap with the expertise of Animikii and the leadership of Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, this partnership moves frameworks into real-world action. It demonstrates how global data governance tools can be adapted to serve local community needs. Moreover, this partnership serves as a crucial first step in empowering First Nation Communities to develop AI models that are truly representative of their language and culture—giving this visibility provides a meaningful avenue to share their heritage with the world.” said Sophie Fallaha, Executive Director of CEIMIA 

The project remains at the pilot stage, with the initial work focused on Sandy Bay's historical information. As the material is prepared for digital use, the community will work with Animikii on the technology and apply CEIMIA's roadmap to decisions around sharing it. What is ultimately preserved and made available will be determined through that process. 

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