  Indigenous languages are historically under-served by Natural Language
Processing (NLP) technologies, but this is changing for some languages with the
recent scaling of large multilingual models and an increased focus by the NLP
community on endangered languages. This position paper explores ethical
considerations in building NLP technologies for Indigenous languages, based on
the premise that such projects should primarily serve Indigenous communities.
We report on interviews with 17 researchers working in or with Aboriginal
and/or Torres Strait Islander communities on language technology projects in
Australia. Drawing on insights from the interviews, we recommend practices for
NLP researchers to increase attention to the process of engagements with
Indigenous communities, rather than focusing only on decontextualised
artefacts.
