Mapping Indigenous Lands

Abstract

The mapping of indigenous lands to secure tenure, manage natural resources, and strengthen cultures is a recent phenomenon, having begun in Canada and Alaska in the 1960s and in other regions during the last decade and a half. A variety of methodologies have made their appearance, ranging from highly participatory approaches involving village sketch maps to more technical efforts with geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. In general, indigenous mapping has shown itself to be a powerful tool and it has spread rapidly throughout the world. The distribution of mapping projects is uneven, as opportunities are scarce in many parts of the world. This review covers the genesis and evolution of indigenous mapping, the different methodologies and their objectives, the development of indigenous atlases and guidebooks for mapping indigenous lands, and the often uneasy mix of participatory community approaches with technology. This last topic is at the center of considerable discussion as spatial technologies are becoming more available and are increasingly used in rural areas. The growth of GIS laboratories among tribes in the United States and Canada, who frequently have both financial and technical support, is in sharp contrast to groups in the South-primarily Africa, Asia, and Latin America-where resources are in short supply and permanent GIS facilities are rare.

Weaving Indigenous and sustainability sciences to diversify our methods

“…Participatory mapping (Chapin et al 2005) is probably the best known of these techniques. Film, video and other visual arts can also be used in a similar way.…”

Narrative Cartography: From Mapping Stories to the Narrative of Maps and Mapping

“…Indigenous oral stories have been mapped since the 1960s (Chapin et al, 2005). As emphasized by a range of authors -and synthesized elsewhere (Caquard, 2014) -one of the main reasons Indigenous communities have been mapping their Indigenous knowledge has been to define their territories through Western spatial formalisation processes and artefacts, in order to reverse colonial power's geographical outcomes and to reclaim dignity and sovereignty over their lands.…”

Cartografia social no território do Parque Nacional Serra da Capivara – PI: mapeamento participativo para retomada da territorialidade

“…Já as terminologias usadas para referir-se a essas práticas cartográficas nos chamados "países em desenvolvimento" são: "mapeamento participativo", "mapeamento participativo de uso da terra", "mapeamento participativo de recursos", "mapeamento comunitário", "mapeamento de comunidades localizadas", "etnocartografia", "autodemarcação" e "delimitação de domínio ancestral". As terminologias para as práticas de cartografia social nos Estados Unidos são: "mapeamento participativo", "mapeamento participativo de uso da terra", "mapeamento participativo de recursos", "mapeamento comunitário", "mapeamento de comunidades localizadas", "etnocartografia", "autodemarcação" e "delimitação de domínio ancestral" (CHAPIN;ZACHARY;THRELKELD, 2005).…”