I am envisioning a project where students from my community map and restore a local historic trail and then create a corresponding digital guide to teach others about the traditional knowledge and practices of the Tl’azt’en people as they explore the trail. Through the UBC Library, I discovered the Aboriginal Mapping Network, an online forum and resource established in 1998 as a joint initiative of the Gitxan and Ahousaht First Nations and Ecotrust Canada to help practitioners map traditional knowledge. Although it seems that the forum has been inactive for the past few years, there are some excellent examples of how GIS technology can be used to help preserve traditional land use practices, historical events etc. For example, through this site I accessed Voices on the Land, an interactive map that documents the land practices of the Okanagan Nations through audio and video clips, images, documents and charts. This is an excellent example of how GIS technology can be used to preserve culture and perhaps even support Aboriginal groups in land claims, treaty negotiations and resource development.
Jaclyn
Resources
AMN. (2015). Aboriginal Mapping Network. Retrieved from http://nativemaps.org/node/3909
Okanagan Nation Alliance. (2010). Voices on the Land. Retrieved from http://voicesontheland.org/