Tag Archives: maps

Indigenous Geography

Indigenous Geography.net is a website dedicated to bring indigenous and non-indigenous geographers together who believe that geography should be done “for and by the people of an area”.  It notes that maps have been important tools for colonization, so this site attempts to use maps to decolonize indigenous communities.

When you read the mission statement, you might think that the goal is to redraw maps until our geography is completely unrecognizable, but as you read more about the associations that contribute to the site, you realize that they want to provide service to indigenous geographers and communities, create partnerships with indigenous communities and explore ethical issues pertaining to research and geography vis-à-vis indigenous communities.

As an ecological topic, I think it aligns well with module 4.

 

 

 

Language and Connectivity Maps

The First People’s Language Maps of B.C. site is a wonderfully interractive series of maps showing the 203 language groups that are in B.C. The series of maps shows both contemporary languages and “sleeping” languages or languages that do not have any active speakers. It also shows the level of connectivity of each Band, which would be helpful for educators planning on-line programmes or for governments trying to ensure equal access. They provide information about each band and language group and contact numbers. One of the maps describes art initiatives all over the province. The Community Champions link describes people who are active in promoting language, culture and art throughout the province. The site was begun with the support of the First People’s Heritage Language Culture Council and the Ministry of Education in B.C. In order to be responsive to new information it is constinuously being updated to ensure accuracy. The sites are a great resource for language preservation and certainly bring home the complexity of the language and culture landscape throughout British Columbia. For the elementary classsroom, it offers a great perspective on First Nations culture throughout the province.

Module 1- Mi’Kmaq Elder’s site on American Indian History

http://www.danielnpaul.com/index.html

Being a well respected elder and member of the Mi’Kimaq First Nations Community in Nova Scotia, Dr. Daniel Paul has created a website that he hopes will educate all on the “history, hopes, and aspirations of First Nation’s Peoples”.

In doing so, he has collected an array of resources and historical documents and presents them in digital format.  Maps, drawings, paintings, and historical recall of events are all the various types of resources that can be found on the website.