Too many scientists self-proclaim their procurement of Indigenous peoples' DNA & data from non-sovereign entities as "ethical".

Legal ≠ ethical. Collecting genomes from Indigenous groups who are "easier to recruit" under the guise of "inclusion" does not excuse your extraction

Indigenous nations have always self-governed, since before current geopolitical bounds.

If we limit our recognition of "sovereignty" to extrinsic definitions, we are complicit in enabling the same colonial structures that disenfranchise and disempower Indigenous people.

Indigenous people from "non-sovereign entities" include but not limited to:

- non-US Indigenous groups
- US nations w/o federally-recognized status
- Indigenous people who are outside the protections of their communities or colonially displaced (i.e., urban Natives or migrants)

These transgressions occur in fields of paleogenomics & aDNA, but these practices also exist in large-scale diversity & health projects as lines between ancestors & descendants become increasingly blurred.

Data from openly sourced genomes is the new currency of biocolonialism.

Stop using "inclusivity" as a buzzword to justify continued exploitation of colonially disempowered people.

True "inclusion" means MEANINGFUL engagement that is defined by communities, not researchers.

Anything less subverts "equity" and "justice" and should be called out.