Exercising Sovereignty Through Machine Learning: Image Recognition for Indigenous Sovereignty (IRIS) Workshop | June 7-8, 2025
Lukachukai, AZ – June 7-8, 2025, something exciting happened at our “Image Recognition for Indigenous Sovereignty” (IRIS) workshop. This endeavor was made possible with KARMA’s collaborator and entrepreneur, Albert Haskie, Nyzhon Studios LLC, a homegrown community member of Lukachukai, and the creator of Adoone’é (Navajo Clans) (https://www.adoonee.com/adoone-e). It wasn’t just about learning to code; it was about empowering an individual and the community through technology, putting the power of data back into the hands of its rightful owners.
Day 1: Diving into the Digital World
Our two-day curriculum kicked off with a participant diving headfirst into the foundations of machine learning – not the easiest task to do on a weekend! The first day was a deep dive into installing essential coding programs and familiarizing ourselves with Python fundamentals – everything from functions and integers to core coding principles. It was an intensive session, and yes, it involved plenty of real-world debugging scenarios! This hands-on troubleshooting, however, proved incredibly valuable, giving the participant a true taste of a software engineer’s journey and the satisfaction of finding solutions.
Day 2: Growing Our Own Data
The second day, a focused half-day, moved from setup to creation. This is where the magic truly began. We focused on gathering data specifically for image recognition, using everyday household items like cups, spoons, and plates. Our presenter emphasized a critical point: this act of capturing and collecting images was an exercise in data sovereignty. The participant was actively involved in collecting, preparing, and then training their own machine learning models.
Connecting to platforms like GitHub, Hugging Face, and VS Code, the participant continued to get hands-on with troubleshooting the interconnected interfaces. This constant interaction with the tools reinforced the practical realities of software engineering. By the end of Day 2, our participant had not only created their own unique machine learning model but also an application that could upload an image (say, of a cup) and have the model accurately detect the object. The participant left the workshop with direct access to the powerful AI tool they had built!
You can see an example of KARMA IRIS App!
Why Data Sovereignty Matters
The heart of IRIS lies in “Indigenous Sovereignty.” In an increasingly data-driven world, who controls the narratives and knowledge embedded in technology? When AI models are trained on datasets that don’t reflect diverse cultures and perspectives, they can perpetuate biases or simply fail to understand the unique realities of different communities. By guiding the participant to collect and train models with their own data, IRIS provides an opportunity to educate the capabilities. It champions the idea that communities should own, control, and benefit from the data that pertains to them, ensuring AI serves their specific needs and values.
The Horizon
The success of this workshop was truly inspiring, showcasing the immense potential when technology is combined with community empowerment. As we reflect and refine our processes, we’re already envisioning the next steps: nurture our understanding of machine learning to include community-based challenges.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this journey of empowering through technology!
This project is funded by the Colorado Plateau Foundation. Learn more about KARMA at www.wiikarma.technology or contact Keanu Jones at keanujonez@wiikarma.org.