Greetings from the heart of Borneo, land of the Dayak from Emmanuela Shinta

I am delighted to join EarthCodes as the new co-Executive Director!

Sharing the importance of the Indigenous knowledge and wisdoms in earth stewardship to the world has always been my mission for over a decade. That’s all that I ever talk about whenever I go to any conference, high level meeting and decision making tables. In the midst of rapid change of technology, I find an alignment with #EarthCodes vision for the future. 

As an Indigenous person from the Dayak Maanyan tribe of Borneo Island, I am aware of the intriguing challenges that can arise whenever we discuss the intersection between traditional life and modern technology. Therefore, I believe that collaboration, alliance, partnership, and collective effort from us as people who dream of a better future for this planet are definitely necessary.

At the Earth Codes, we discover, discuss and safeguard data that will be the basis for visualizing and designing our collective regenerative future. As I step into this role, I am committed to strengthening the Indigenous perspective in our organization and leading the initiative focusing  on Indigenous data sovereignty and ethical use of the Indigenous knowledge in AI and Earth science. Looking forward, I am eager to expand the partnership with diverse communities and stakeholders. 

We cannot do this alone. We need our Indigenous brothers and sisters to walk with me.

Together, we will embark on a journey to advance the mission of EarthCodes and contribute meaningfully to both our local and global communities. 

“Indigenous knowledge is not a relic of the past, but a guide for the future. “

Learn more about her work here www.emmanuelashinta.com

Emmanuela uniquely contributes her perspective on Indigeneity, traditional knowledge, youth activism plus ideas on data sovereignty. This is particularly important as EarthCodes plans to create the world’s largest AI data resource through its EarthCodes Data Commons (ECDC) initiative. The ECDC will allow innovators to access “regenerative” data for their industry specific AI tools.

She wrote a book in English entitled Me, Modernism and My Indigenous Roots which is about her life as an indigenous woman in the midst of industrialization and environmental destruction, and her journey to activism. She has been featured in UNICEF Global White Paper Women Health & Climate (2017), Asian Geographic issue 117 Planet Under Fire,  Age of Nature (2020), TEDx Talk (2020), The Guardian (2021).