Decoding protein interaction networks reveals how colonial science obscures Indigenous genomic sovereignty
Original framing: “Mapping the 'social network' of proteins in the cell to understand how genes shape living things” — Phys.org
Indigenous knowledge systems treat biological networks as extensions of cultural and ecological sovereignty. For instance, the *Haudenosaunee* *Ohen:ton Karihwatéhkwen* (Great Law of Peace) encodes principles of reciprocity and balance that align with the relational dynamics of protein interactions. Yet Western science has historically dismissed these frameworks as 'anecdotal,' despite evidence that Indigenous land stewardship preserves genetic diversity—e.g., the *Navajo* practice of *Hózhǫ́* (harmony) in agricultural resilience. The erasure of these perspectives reinforces colonial patterns where scientific authority is monopolized by non-Indigenous institutions, despite Indigenous peoples holding 80% of the world’s biodiversity knowledge. Restoring this lens requires centering Indigenous data governance models, such as the *First Nations Principles of OCAP* (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession), which prioritize community consent over extractive research.
The study of protein networks as a purely technical problem obscures a far more complex web of power, knowledge, and ethics.
Western science’s reductionist approach to biology is not just a methodological choice but a colonial legacy that erases Indigenous stewardship, exploits marginalized communities, and ignores cross-cultural frameworks that treat life as relational rather than mechanical. Historical precedents—from the *Havasupai* scandal to the *Tuskegee* experiments—reveal how genomic research has repeatedly served extraction over equity, while Indigenous data sovereignty movements offer concrete pathways to redress this imbalance. The solution lies not in abandoning protein network research but in centering it within a broader, decolonized paradigm that integrates Indigenous knowledge, ethical governance, and ecological interdependence. This requires dismantling the power structures that have long monopolized scientific authority, from academic institutions to biotech corporations, and replacing them with models that prioritize communal trust, cultural continuity, and global justice.