This article makes a case for why ethnomusicologists—not just those with specialised interests in archives, information management, and intellectual property law—need a serious conversation about open research. Drawing on examples of ethical, regulatory, and infrastructure challenges encountered in the UK-based Access Folk project, I suggest the necessity of dialogue that crosses fault lines about data ownership and control. Articulating a coherent disciplinary-level stance about what open research means in ethnomusicology is an essential step toward a more ethical research praxis, positioning us to confront twenty-first-century technical and regulatory challenges.

This article presents the Zapar project, a community-commanded initiative developed in collaboration with the Atacameño Community of Toconao (northern Chile), which repositions remote sensing (RS) technologies through Indigenous governance and ethical frameworks. By embedding the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance—Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics—into every stage of the workflow, the project transforms RS from an extractive documentation tool into a participatory, culturally grounded practice. UAV-based photogrammetry, spatial modeling, and virtual documentation were codesigned with community members to support Indigenous-led heritage management, memory activation, and territorial governance. Beyond technical innovation, this project offers a procedural, epistemological, and ethical-governance advance in archaeological practice. Procedurally, it demonstrates how the CARE Principles can guide RS workflows through shared authority and iterative validation (1) epistemologically, by integrating Indigenous narratives that redefine site interpretation; and (2) ethically, by ensuring data sovereignty and long-term stewardship of digital heritage within the community. The Zapar project therefore provides a replicable framework for decolonizing digital archaeology, demonstrating that technological innovation can coexist with Indigenous leadership, collaborative ethics, and sustainable heritage governance.