A Map that Roared

In order to address this question you will need to refer to Sparke’s article, “A Map that Roared and an Original Atlas: Canada, Cartography, and the Narration of Nation.” You can easily find this article online. Read the section titled: “Contrapuntal Cartographies” (468 – 470). Write a blog that explains Sparke’s analysis of what Judge McEachern might have meant by this statement: “We’ll call this the map that roared.”

In his article, “A Map that Roared and an Original Atlas: Canada Cartography and the Narration of Nation”, Matthew Sparke analyses what might have been meant by Judge McEachern when, while unfolding a map, exclaimed “We’ll call it the map that roared” (468)

The map presented to Judge McEachern, was from the Gitxsan and Wet’sewet’en First Nations as evidence in a court case regarding their land claims. The map was proof of their sovereignty and illustrated their traditional land holdings. Notably, the map did not feature any “colonial landmarks”, which is to say it did not includes any points of reference that were not present on the land before colonization. There were no property lines, electricity lines, pipelines, logging roads, etc., that would of served as a frame of reference for the Judge when he saw the map for the first time. This is not to say that they needed to have included these items, however it is to be noted that the Judge’s dismissal of the validity of the map could serve as evidence to his understanding of Canadian history. As we have learnt, having an exclusive notion of colonialism would mean that the Judge does not understand that colonialism could have been anything other than peaceful.

Sparke analyzes possible meanings behind the Judge’s declaration of it being a “map that roared.” He suggests that it could be a reference to a “paper tiger”, or rather to the “1959 Peter Seller’s movie satirizing Cold War geopolitics, “The Mouse that Roared.”” (468) This would mean then, that Sparke thinks the Judge’s comments “might be interpreted as a derisory scripting of the plaintiffs (Wet’suwet’en/Gitxsan) as a ramshackled, anachronistic nation” (468)

I would first like to draw attention to the reference to the paper tiger, which according to Collins dictionary means “although they seem powerful they do not really have any power.” This would then mean that Sparke does not believe the Judge holds any beliefs that the Indigenous Plaintiffs have any power behind their words. I believe this interpretation serves as the best reasoning for why the judge ended up dismissing their claim. Next, Sparke alludes The Mouse that Roared, which in essence is about a small country which decides to go to war against the United States with the aim to lose, and prompt the US to provide vast financial aid to rebuild the country. It is impossible to not see exactly why the Judge would absolutely dismiss the land claim if he believed the plaintiffs were attempting the same thing, however we know that that is very much not the case. Another situation that was (kind of) recently related to The Mouse that Roared is one of Donald Trump’s presidential speech’s. The extent to which these two situations could fit the story line is unsettling to acknowledge, but what is more unsettling is the realization that many people, including the Judge in this case, are in that mind set.

Sparke then goes on to say that McEacherns dismissal of the land claim was done “[with a] remarkably absolutist set of colonialist claims about the extinguishment of aboriginal rights” (468). The systematic dismissal of the claims serves as evidence to conclude that the Judge’s comments on it being “a map that roared” were intended as a derisory comment.

Eventually, the supreme court of Canada overturned his dismissal, which opened up the possibility of a new trial.

Works Cited

Marwan, Bishara. “Donald Trump and the mouse that roared” Aljazeera.com. 2016. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/08/marwan-bishara-donald-trump-mouse-roared-election-160817121849841.html

Sparke, Mathew. “A Map that Roared and an Original Atlas: Canada, Cartography, and the Narration of Nation.” Annals of the Association of American Geographers 88.3 (1998): 463- 495. Web. 20 Feb 2020.

Tse-tung, Mao. “U.S. Imperialism is a Paper Tiger, Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung.” Marxists.org. 2004. Web