01Home 02Services 03Work 04About 05Contact
001 — Nanaimo BC · 49.166° N · Indigenous-led EST. 2025 / OCAP® aligned / Selective portfolio

We build AI
that listens
before it speaks.

MonkeySphere is an Indigenous-led technology studio designing AI, web, and digital systems that honour OCAP® principles and the communities they serve.

Begin a conversation Read our acknowledgement
Sphere · listening
◇ AI for Indigenous Languages ◆ OCAP® principles ◇ Data sovereignty ◆ Web & Interface ◇ Custom AI agents ◆ Content & Visibility ◇ Selective partnerships ◆ Métis-owned
002 — Our practice

Sovereign systems.
Selective work.

We approach every project as a relationship, not a transaction. Indigenous data, knowledge, language, and cultural expressions belong to the Nations they come from — our work begins with that truth, and is governed by OCAP® and OCAS principles.

How we work
O Ownership OCAP® · 01 OCAS · 01

First Nations and Métis communities hold ownership of their data, language, and cultural information — collectively and individually.

C Control OCAP® · 02 OCAS · 02

Communities are entitled to control how their information is collected, used, and disclosed at every stage of the work.

A Access OCAP® · 03 OCAS · 03

Communities must have access to their data — and the ability to decide who else may, and on what terms.

P Possession OCAP® · 04

Stewardship and physical possession of data remain with the First Nation community — protected, governed, and protected again.

S Stewardship OCAS · 04

For Métis communities, stewardship reflects a relational responsibility to data — not just physical custody, but ongoing accountability to the people and knowledge it represents.

Film · Coming soon
003 — Field work

Speaking the future,
in our own words.

Our flagship research direction applies modern AI — speech models, retrieval, agentic systems — to the revitalization of Indigenous languages. Done thoughtfully, it can shift power back to the Nations who hold the words.

“AI and Indigenous identity should not only coexist — they should strengthen one another.”
— Darrell Fraser, CVO · Métis
004What we do03 disciplines / one team

Three disciplines,
one team, in relationship.

We're small on purpose. Each engagement gets our full attention — no handoffs, no junior pods, no chargeback theatre. The same people who scope the work are the ones who ship it.

SVC / 01

Artificial
Intelligence

Custom agents, speech & language models, retrieval systems, and data pipelines — designed to honour the communities whose knowledge they carry.

Agents NLP / ASR RAG Eval
SVC / 02

Web &
Interface

Sites that load fast, read clearly, and feel like the people behind them. Custom builds — no CMS lock-in, no template dependency, no surprises.

Static Brand A11y Accessible
SVC / 03

Content &
Visibility

Structured content, AI discoverability, plain-language communication — built for communities historically invisible to algorithms.

Structured GEO Plain language Community
005How we engage04 acts
ACT 01 / Listen

Conversation before contract.

We meet, we listen, we ask permission. Before any technical scoping, we understand the community, the protocols, and what's actually at stake.

ACT 02 / Frame

Scope guided by sovereignty.

Every project plan is shaped by data governance, not the other way around. Where the data lives, who can touch it, and how it leaves — decided up front.

ACT 03 / Build

Tight loops. Real artifacts.

Working software in weeks, not slide decks in months. We ship small, demo often, and adjust openly.

ACT 04 / Steward

We don't leave when the invoice does.

Hand-off includes documentation, training, and a continuing relationship. Selective portfolios mean we have time to actually stay.

006Selected work04 partnerships to date

Who's in
our sphere.

See all engagements
/ 001 Native Communications Society of NWT (CKLB) Educational content infrastructure and application development for Indigenous language programming. AIWebActive / 002 Délı̨nę Got'ı̨nę Government Indigenous language and knowledge systems for a self-governing Nation. AILanguagePartner / 003 First Nation Education Foundation (FNEF) Education-focused AI and technology support for Indigenous learners. AIWebPartner / 004 Mid-Island Métis Nation (MIMN) Indigenous data governance and community technology engagement. AIGovernancePartner
007Our team03 humans

Small,
by design.

We're a senior-only team. The people you meet in the first call are the ones writing the code, leading the strategy, and showing up to the closing.

MW

Michael West

Data Maestro

25 years across database management, satellite networking, software, and GIS. Now applying that depth to AI for the revitalization of Indigenous languages.

DF

Darrell Fraser

Chief Visionary Officer

15+ years in web and data, now focused on AI through the lens of OCAP® and his Métis heritage. Works at the intersection of culture, language, and technology.

JD

James Delorme

Indigenous Innovation Architect

Former Chief of Klahoose First Nation and former board member of BCAFN. Brings political leadership and community roots to every engagement.

008 — Data acknowledgement

Words held by those who hold them.

In the spirit of respect and accountability, we acknowledge that Indigenous data, knowledge, language, and cultural expressions belong to the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples from whom they originate.

We recognize that this data is governed by the principles of OCAP® — Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession — for First Nations communities, and OCAS — Ownership, Control, Access, and Stewardship — for Métis communities, and by the laws, protocols, and responsibilities of each Nation and community.

We affirm that Indigenous Peoples hold the authority to decide how their data is collected, used, shared, stored, and protected, now and into the future. We commit to working in ways that respect collective rights, intergenerational responsibilities, and community-defined governance — and to ensuring that our actions reflect listening, learning, and accountability rather than extraction or assumption.

◯ OCAP® is a registered trademark of the FNIGC
009 — Begin

Let's start with
a conversation.

Tell us about the project, the community, and what you'd like to change. If we're not the right fit, we'll say so — and point you to someone who is.

info@monkeysphere.ca / Nanaimo, BC / Responses within 48h
New engagement intake / 01