Tech tracks birds—but colonial science erased Indigenous migration knowledge; now, who owns the data and the solutions?
Original framing: “For centuries, bird migration was a mystery – a tech revolution is changing that, and could help save these amazing creatures” — The Conversation - Global
Indigenous peoples across the globe have tracked bird migrations for millennia using oral histories, land-based observations, and celestial navigation. For example, the **Māori of New Zealand** use the migration of the **Tūī bird** to mark seasonal changes, while the **San peoples of Southern Africa** have long understood the routes of the **Lesser Kestrel** through their deep knowledge of the land. Colonial science dismissed these practices as 'unscientific,' yet they are often more precise and holistic than modern tracking methods. The current tech-driven approach risks replicating extractive patterns, where Indigenous knowledge is either ignored or repackaged as 'data' without consent or compensation.
The 'tech revolution' in bird migration tracking is not a neutral innovation but a continuation of colonial patterns where Indigenous knowledge is either ignored or repackaged as data.
While GPS and satellite technologies offer unprecedented insights, they risk reinforcing structural inequalities if they exclude the very communities whose land and traditions sustain migratory species. The solution lies in **decolonizing data**—centering Indigenous stewardship, addressing the root causes of habitat destruction (like industrial agriculture), and reimagining migration as a relational, spiritual, and communal phenomenon rather than a scientific puzzle. Historical precedents, such as the **co-management of salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest**, show that when Indigenous knowledge and modern science collaborate, outcomes are not only more effective but also more just. The trickster here exposes the absurdity of claiming 'discovery' while ignoring those who have always known, urging us to ask: *Who is really being saved—and at whose expense?