A Framework for Kara-Kichwa Data Sovereignty in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract: In the high-altitude territories of the Andean-Amazonian-Atlantic pathway, data is not merely a digital resource but an extension of Khipu Panaka, the genealogical and relational memory of the Kara-Kichwa Republics. This perspective paper introduces the Kara-Kichwa Data Sovereignty Framework, a living instrument designed to counteract the "intellectual gentrification" and systemic invisibility of Andean Indigenous Peoples in global data ecosystems. Grounded in Indigenous legal systems thinking, the framework codifies five customary pillars, Kamachy (Self-determination), Ayllu-llaktapak kamachy (Collective Authority), Tantanakuy (Relational Accountability), Willay-panka-tantay (Ancestral Memory), and Sumak Kawsay (Biocultural Ethics), to govern the lifecycle of data from generation to expiration.