NIKLA Respectful Terminology Platform Project Receives Mellon Foundation Grant

April 11, 2024

NIKLA, the National Indigenous Knowledge & Language Alliance, announced that its Respectful Terminology Platform Project (RTPP) was awarded a two-year, $1.4M USD grant from the Mellon Foundation. Led by Camille Callison (Tāłtān Nation, University of the Fraser Valley) and Dr. Stacy Allison-Cassin (Métis Nation of Ontario, Dalhousie University), this funding will be dedicated to advancing the development of a dynamic, multilingual platform for Indigenous terminology that can be used in libraries, archives, museums, and data systems worldwide.

The Respectful Terminology Platform Project Receives Prestigious Grant from the Mellon Foundation

[Ohsweken, April 8, 2024] – The Respectful Terminology Platform Project (RTPP), an Indigenous-led initiative under the NIKLA-ANCLA umbrella, is honoured to announce that the project has been awarded a two-year grant for a total of $1.4M USD from the Mellon Foundation. Led by RTPP Co-Principal Investigators Camille Callison (Tāłtān Nation, University of the Fraser Valley) and Dr. Stacy Allison-Cassin (Métis Nation of Ontario, Dalhousie University), this funding will be dedicated to advancing the development of a dynamic, multilingual platform for Indigenous terminology that can be used in libraries, archives, museums, and data systems worldwide.

Dalhousie University is the host institution for the grant, working in partnership with the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA). The University of the Fraser Valley is a supporting partner of the project.

Camille Callison, NIKLA-ANCLA Chair and University Librarian at the University of Fraser Valley, added, “We see this as an opportunity not only to develop a sophisticated metadata platform but to ensure that Indigenous knowledge systems and communities are at the forefront of technological advancements. We want to inspire an imprint of reverence for all others in the way we organize information.”

“We are honored and grateful to receive this support from the Mellon Foundation,” said Dr. Stacy Allison Cassin, Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University. “This funding will help us to make meaningful strides in developing a platform for terminology that reflects Indigenous histories, cultures, places, and peoples from our perspectives. The project represents a significant opportunity for powerful structural change and an expression of Indigenous data sovereignty.

The project is funded through the Public Knowledge program of the Mellon Foundation, a program focused on the accessibility and preservation of cultural knowledge and information. The Foundation is renowned for supporting projects that promote equity, inclusivity, and cultural knowledge. This grant will significantly help RTPP to leverage cutting-edge technologies and methodologies to create resources that will enable Indigenous communities to be known by the names and terms they determine by and for themselves.

RTPP is grateful for guidance from the project’s Indigenous Advisory Circle and for the volunteer support of librarians, archivists, museum professionals, and data specialists in the Technical Working Group. The project is additionally supported by generous in-kind and financial contributions from the Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, the Internet Archive Canada, OCLC, the Ontario Library Association, and the Canadian Urban Library Council.

For more information, contact: respectfulterminology@gmail.com

(Via National Indigenous Knowledge & Language Alliance)