First Nation Seeker site provides a collection maps of different areas and at different times through history as to the location of the various locations of First Nations. I can see this being used in class side by side with say the National Geographic Atlas to compare the populations of natives and non native communities. I was surprised at the number and expanse of territory covered by the First Nations before Europeans arrived.
http://www.firstnationsseeker.ca/
Tag Archives: Indigenous Maps
4.5: Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada – Map Room
Website: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1290453474688/1290453673970#h4
This website section is part of a much larger Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada website. This post is about the “Map Room” section specifically. This site includes a plethora of maps on Canadian First Nation communities and topics. Map topics range from census information, information about K-12 schools on reservations, and the distribution of residential school survivor settlements by province. Two interactive maps that I found particularly interesting were:
First Nation Profiles Interactive Map: Lists First Nations in Canada. By clicking on First Nation icon on the map, you can view demographic information about the First Nation. Furthermore, many also include links to community run websites.
Interactive Map on Specific Claim Settlements: Successful land claims are represented as orange dots on the map. Clicking on the dots reveals the name of the claim, the settlement date, the dollar amount of the settlement, and the province. This is useful for seeing where claims have been made and for what reasons.
These maps are excellent for use in a Canadian History or a Global Issues classroom.
4.1: Boat Trip to Important Stz’uminus Places
Website: Boat Trip to Important Stz’uminus Places
I was intrigued by the website NativeMaps.org, and wanted to learn more about how indigenous peoples were using digital technologies to map traditional territories. I came across this article from the Globe and Mail, which details how Google’s Map Your World Community program can be used in indigenous contexts.
The Globe and Mail article explains how Ray Harris, a Stz’uminus First Nation elder, and an anthropologist from the University of Victoria used Google Maps to map traditional territory. The map they created includes a plethora of indigenous knowledge that would not appear on a regular Google Map, such as the location of a sea wolf petroglyph, the site of a no-longer-standing residential school, and a seagull egg harvesting site.
This has potential for indigenous education. Specifically, Harris discusses the potential to share this information in the Hul’qumi’num language. The article also discusses the potential of using this for land claims purposes. There are, however, issues with broadcasting traditional information. From what I gather, these maps can be made private, and will not appear on regular Google Street View.
“I have been fishing all my life, I’ve never recorded anything, I know the whole coast. And I have a hankering now to record stuff, for my kids and my grandkids.”
Ray Harris, Stz’uminus elder