Information is Sacred...

Mission

A detail view of turquoise geometric designs on a copper table.

We are an Indigenous library center led by an all-Indigenous staff seeking to collaborate with and proactively meet the needs of ASU Indigenous students, faculty, and regional Tribal communities by:

  • Providing a culturally safe space within academia for critical learning, scholarship, creativity, and reflection for community healing (Space and Place)
  • Promoting and supporting Indigenous academic excellence through research in scholarly work, data, and creative writing (Research Services)
  • Curating, preserving, and facilitating access to Indigenous information – stories, scholarly works, poems, art, music, and primary sources  (Collections)
  • Developing and implementing programs that engage and center Indigenous ways of knowing, lived experiences, and creative expressions (Programming)
  • Stewarding collections through centering Indigenous ownership of data, cultural and intellectual property, research, archives, traditional knowledge, and community memory (Stewardship)
  • Supporting and upholding cultural sovereignty through implementation of cultural protocols and practice to support Tribal Sovereignty, and Indigenous ownership of traditional knowledge and information (Protocols)
Smudge sticks of dried sage and creosote, wrapped in twine, placed in a large shell and on a mesquite-patterned cloth bundle.

Vision

The Labriola National American Indian Data Center seeks to empower Indigenous Peoples in the pursuit of Indigenous resilience through support of Indigenous research, scholarship, cultural expression, memory-keeping, and community learning. The Labriola Center employs a community-engaged and collaborative approach to the stewardship of cultural knowledge to uphold and bolster Tribal Sovereignty among the Tribal Nations and communities of Arizona.

Values

The Labriola National American Indian Data Center centers Indigenous values in its programming, collection, engagement, and services. Building and maintaining community is at the forefront of our work.

Kinship

We value kinship in relationship to our land, language, history, and community.

Community

We value relationships with Tribal communities, students, researchers, and artists because it is the root for healing and awareness.

Consent

We value cultural practices of Traditional Knowledge. It is essential to seek permission from Tribal communities regarding how we share Traditional information.

Sovereignty

We value the inherent sovereignty of all Indigenous communities, including federally and non federally recognized tribes.