The Gwich'in Atlas

Aporta, Claudio; Kritsch, Ingrid; Andre, Alestine; Benson, Kristi; Snowshoe, Sharon; Firth, W. J.; Carry, Del

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-62713-1.00016-7

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Emphasising the cultural politics of naming has revealed ‘how people seek to control, negotiate, and contest the naming process as they engage in wider struggles for legitimacy and visibility’ (Rose‐Redwood et al., 2010, p. 457). Bridges and Osterhoudt (2021, p. 11) explore how the names of places invoke memories and state that, as a dominant force, colonialism modifies ‘whose memories can map onto which landscapes.’ Therefore, place names contribute to the creation of landscapes and become a way for people to articulate their connections to their environment, serving ‘to anchor perceptions, memories, and ideas of place in particular locations’ (Aporta et al., 2014, p. 230; Tilley, 1994).…”

Section: Landscapes Of Colonialism: the Power Of Place Namingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and beyond

Williamson

2023

Geography Compass

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European colonialism sought to inscribe order and meaning on non-European landscapes through the process of place naming. Naming or renaming was fundamental to the extension of imperial control over physical and human environments. This article offers a brief overview of the ways critical place name studies has addressed these colonial practices.In particular, the paper examines the power relationships inherent in place naming, asks questions about authority and authenticity in place naming, highlights the importance of sound in the performance of place names, and explores decolonial mapping practices as an opportunity to challenge neocolonial cartographies. I suggest that critical place name studies has been insufficiently attentive to orthography and that addressing the spelling of place names more directly offers important ways to understand how power and authority intersected with authenticity and reproducibility in colonial naming practices. I conclude by identifying the potential benefits to geographers of prioritising decolonial research by collaborating with indigenous peoples and incorporating indigenous practices within research.

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Section: Landscapes Of Colonialism: the Power Of Place Namingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and beyond

Williamson

2023

Geography Compass

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“…In March 2012, Gill and Lantz visited Fort McPherson to seek community input on project goals and methodology, and to identify potential participants. The proposed PMM methodology was presented and discussed with GSCI staff, elders participating in a GSCI place names mapping project (Aporta et al 2014), members of the Fort McPherson Climate Change Adaptation Project (Scott 2011), and members of the Teetł'it Gwich'in Renewable Resource Council. These discussions produced two additional project goals: 1) contribute to knowledge-sharing and relationship-building between youth and experienced land users (members of the community with established TEK); and 2) provide youth with learning and experience with digital tools.…”

Section: Protocol Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can be especially challenging to record and share information in a way that is respectful of knowledge holders and consistent with the holistic, place-specific nature of TEK (Chambers 2006;Gilmore and Eshbaugh 2011;Hardison and Bannister 2011;Moller et al 2004;Stringer et al 2006). Interactive multimedia web-based maps and databases are becoming popular ways to organize and share local and traditional ecological knowledge, and their flexibility allows for less structured and more collaborative data management (Aporta et al 2014;Gilmore and Eshbaugh 2011;McLain et al 2013;Pulsifer et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Community-Based Approach to Mapping Gwich'in Observations of Environmental Changes in the Lower Peel River Watershed, NT

Gill

Lantz

2014

Journal of Ethnobiology

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In Canada's western Arctic climate change is driving rapid ecological changes. Ongoing and locally-driven environmental monitoring, in which systematic observations of environmental conditions are recorded and synthesized, is required to understand and respond to climate change and other human impacts. Indigenous peoples’ traditional ecological knowledge is increasingly used as the basis for regional monitoring, as there is a need for detailed, place-specific information that is consistent with local ways of understanding and interacting with the environment. In this project, participatory multimedia mapping was used with Teetł'it Gwich'in land users and youth from Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, Canada to record information about local environmental conditions and changes. Gwich'in monitors made trips on the land to document environmental conditions and changes using geotagged photo and video observations. Subsequently, land users provided detailed information about each observation in follow-up interviews, which were added to a web-based map displaying participants’ photos and videos. In this paper, we present the outcomes from the first year of research, explore the diverse types of knowledge this approach can contribute to environmental monitoring, and identify areas of convergence between traditional ecological knowledge and scientific research in the Arctic. Our work shows that this approach can make an important contribution to monitoring environmental changes associated with climate change in a way that is locally relevant and culturally appropriate.

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“…The settlement is nestled in a bend of the Peel River, one of the main channels of the Mackenzie River system (Milton Freeman Research Limited 1976a). Gwich'in in Aklavik are of the Ehdiitat cultural group, one of four major tribal distinctions (Aporta et al 2014). Inuvialuit in Aklavik have ancestors from two distinct cultural groups (Kupugmiut and Kigirktarumiut) in the Mackenzie Delta and along the Yukon coast, as well as heritage from Alaskan Iñupiat in the early 20th century (Milton Freeman Research Limited 1976b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social-ecological changes and implications for understanding the declining beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) harvest in Aklavik, Northwest Territories

Worden

Pearce

Gruben³

et al. 2020

Arctic Science

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Subsistence is the basis for food access for Inuvialuit in the western Canadian Arctic and has strong economic, dietary, and cultural importance. Inuvialuit harvest beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) from the eastern Beaufort beluga population during summer months within parameters established through co-management. Over the past thirty years there has been a dramatic decline in the number of beluga harvested by Inuvialuit from the community of Aklavik, NT. This paper investigates the potential drivers of change, both social and ecological, affecting the beluga harvest. Data were collected using 32 semi-directed interviews and experiential learning. Results revealed that ecological changes, notably coastal erosion at preferred whaling camps and unpredictable and severe weather have made harvesting more difficult, expensive and often impractical. These changes are being experienced together with social changes including the loss of elders and their knowledge, and changing values and motivations for harvesting beluga. We conclude that no one driver is responsible for the decline in the beluga harvest but rather it is the result of multiple social-ecological changes operating across scales that affect the feasibility of the harvest and motivation to participate.

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The Gwich'in Atlas

Cited by 10 publications

References 1 publication

Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and beyond

Historical geographies of place naming: Colonial practices and beyond

A Community-Based Approach to Mapping Gwich'in Observations of Environmental Changes in the Lower Peel River Watershed, NT

Social-ecological changes and implications for understanding the declining beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) harvest in Aklavik, Northwest Territories

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