Preserving Cultural Data and Languages in the AI Era: Challenges and Opportunities
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Heritage Awareness Month, the ACM DEI Council is proud to host a panel for our diverse computing community that provides interesting and insightful perspectives on issues of great importance, particularly to persons from indigenous populations.
Organized by ACM DEI Council member, Timothy Pinkston (University of Southern California), the panel consists of indigenous researchers from multiple countries who will discuss why data sovereignty and the preservation of native cultures and languages are important and why these may be at risk with Generative AI and other emerging technologies; how the creativity and ingenuity inherent to indigenous cultures can be cultivated by leveraging computing and other advanced technologies; how further to improve access to computing technologies and related research/education resources in tribal communities, while also enabling environmental and wildlife sustainability, advancing native culture and way of life; and much more.
Moderated by Cynthia (Star Horse Woman) Lindquist, other panelists include Ian Her Many Horses, Te Taka Keegan, Sean Chandler, and Elmer Guy. The panel was scheduled to occur via Zoom on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
Moderator
Cynthia (Star Horse Woman) Lindquist Cynthia Lindquist is a member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Tribe, Fort Totten, North Dakota and her Dakota name is Star Horse Woman (Ta’sunka Wicahpi Winyan). She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and a Master’s in Public Administration. Lindquist served as President of her Tribe’s college, Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC), for 21 years, leaving in August 2024.
Panelists
Ian Her Many Horses
Ian Her Many Horses is an Assistant Teaching Professor for CU Teach, the STEM teacher education program at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a co-founder of IndigiGenius, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing AI education. A citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate, Her Many Horses is a passionate educator and researcher in the fields of mathematics and computer science.
Te Taka Keegan
Te Taka is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and the Associate Dean Māori of the Wānanga Pūtaiao at the University of Waikato. He has worked on a number of projects involving the Māori language and technology. These include the Māori Niupepa Collection, Te Kete Ipurangi, the Microsoft keyboard, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office in Māori, Moodle in Māori, Google Web Search in Māori, the Māori macroniser and SwiftKey for Māori.
Sean Chandler
Sean Chandler, an enrolled member of the Aaniinen (Gros Ventre Nation), has served since 2020 as President of Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC). At ANC, Dr. Chandler developed an American Indian Studies (AIS) Associate of Arts stand-alone degree, and he worked with Aaniiih and Nakoda elders to learn and record their stories, restoring ANC’s tribal archives to become a secure place to house documents and artifacts.
Elmer J. Guy
Since 2006, Elmer J. Guy has served as President of the Navajo Technical University (NTU). Before joining NTU, Guy was appointed by the Navajo Nation president to serve as both Executive Director and Deputy Director of the Navajo Nations Department of Education. During his tenure with the Navajo Nation Department of Education, several needed programs were developed and
For Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month recommended readings:
1. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, by David Treuer (2018)
2. Indian Givers, by Jack Weatherford (1988)
3. Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence, by Greg Cajete (2000)
4. Ignite the Sparkle: An Indigenous Science Education Curriculum Model, by Greg Cajete (1999)
5. Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, Edited by Paul Boyer (2010)