In a groundbreaking virtual gathering at MIT, ten distinguished Indigenous media scholars and artists participated in the inaugural Indigenous Digital Delegation. Throughout this week-long series of innovative meetings, delegates engaged with more than 60 MIT scientists, staff, fellows, and students in deep conversations about Indigenous Knowledge, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Worlds.
"Wisdom remains absent from modern educational curricula and contemporary life practices," noted Ojibwe elder, artist, and scholar Duke Redbird during the delegation's keynote public lecture titled "Dish with One Spoon." "While technology enables humanity to reach space and embed nano-computers in living organisms, it cannot answer the fundamental Indigenous question: 'Is it wise?' This perspective becomes increasingly crucial as we develop ethical artificial intelligence systems."
The delegates collaborated with MIT researchers across multiple domains, including space decolonization, reimagining Indigenous architecture, and community-based governance in genetic modification of invasive species. These discussions highlighted the importance of Indigenous-led AI research and innovation in creating more equitable technological futures.
"This unprecedented opportunity allows Indigenous scholars and creators to connect with digital and new media pioneers," explains Dr. Julie Nagam, associate professor of art history at the University of Winnipeg. "Our decolonial tools facilitate profound connections through practice and critical thinking, transforming both the field and MIT's approach to technology." Nagam co-leads the delegation with the Indigenous Screen Office's Kerry Swanson, who adds, "The knowledge we bring back to our communities will significantly influence our work for years to come."
Professor Wesley Harris, MIT's representative for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, opened the session by advocating for incorporating arts into STEM education—transforming it into STEAM.
Throughout the week of interactive workshops, laboratory visits, and strategic pairings, delegates connected with relevant MIT labs and researchers to advance their current projects. These initiatives ranged from art gallery installations and Sundance-backed documentary films to pioneering research on Indigenous Protocol-based Artificial Intelligence and Indigenous-led emergent media laboratories.
"We're entering an era where algorithms increasingly program human behavior," observed Redbird. "Historically, Indigenous peoples maintained symbiotic relationships with Earth's natural systems. Today, algorithms rather than nature design and motivate much of human activity. This makes decolonizing AI technology with traditional knowledge more important than ever."
In one innovative workshop, a team explored building AI systems based on Indigenous-protocols. Delegates Jason Lewis and Scott Benesiianaabandan collaborated with MIT scholar James Glass from the Spoken Languages Systems Group, whose research focuses on supporting low-resourced languages. The team shared aspects of Anishinaabe worldview and knowledge generation protocols, investigating whether "values might be articulated in a manner that retains their cultural integrity" without relying on translation from high-resource languages.
"The enthusiasm across MIT for this gathering has been extraordinary," noted Kat Cizek, delegation event designer and artistic director at the Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab. "There's tremendous interest in learning from Indigenous scholars and artists to collectively transform our understanding and practice of science, arts, and technologies."
Participating MIT labs included the Space Enabled Research Group, CoLab, Game Lab, Opera of the Future, Fluid Interfaces, Sculpting Evolution Lab, and the CAST Visiting Artists Program, among others.
Redbird emphasized the critical importance of these exchanges: "It's essential that 21st-century youth access worldviews celebrating compassionate communion with all living beings. We want future generations to apply ancestral values and wisdom, upholding sacred covenants with family, community, and nature. The generation born after 1995 must explore Indigenous perspectives and leverage technology to transform negative patterns and re-envision our relationship with the environment."
The delegation featured Elder Duke Redbird; co-leads Kerry Swanson from the Indigenous Screen Office and Julie Nagam of The Space Between Us at the University of Winnipeg; scholars Heather Igloliorte and Jason Lewis from Concordia University; Jackson 2bears from the University of Lethbridge; L. Sarah Todd from the IM4 Lab at Emily Carr University; and artists Scott Bensiianaabandan, Lisa Jackson, Caroline Monnet, and Nyla Innuksuk.
This first-of-its-kind Indigenous Delegation at MIT was originally planned as an in-person event for spring 2020. The delegates will continue collaborating with MIT as ISO-MIT Co-Creation Fellows at the Open Documentary Lab throughout the coming year. A second, more internationally-focused delegation is planned for 2021-22, to be held on campus.
