In our Hare reading, emphasis is placed on the ‘local’ in Indigenous knowledge. However for many of us, who are not of this background, it may be difficult to understand the importance of what “place” actually represents. This prevents us from a more complete understanding of the Indigenous perspective.  In aid of this and by utilizing online technology available, a group from Georgia(USA) is using Google Earth and multimedia to demonstrate the geography of the Cherokee. You can view the project here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6IJrxz–AA&list=PLWw80tqUZ5J8tXKFdM6vvTYMK9ibmCQ9Y

This project focuses on revealing the very importance of the landscape itself as central to the Cherokee culture. What’s interesting about this is how useful a publicly available tool such as Google Earth is in providing content to what the relationship that and Indigenous community would have to the land and actual locations. Using a tool such as this, one can show, for example, sacred places, deposits of medicinal herbs, as well as animal migration routes. For those among us who live in larger cities, such a guide is invaluable in providing context.

(note: I am not a fan on the banjo music they play in the clip and have tried hard to not listen to it while appreciating the rest of their work.)