Mapping the Digital Terrain: Towards Indigenous Geographic Information and Spatial Data Quality Indicators for Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Land-Use Data Collection

Abstract

Mapping spatial information to represent indigenous knowledge (IK) and rights has been taking place since the early 1970s in various parts of Canada. These mapping initiatives continue to be primarily associated with traditional land-use (TLU) studies and have deep roots in participatory methods that include aspects of participatory geographic information systems (PGIS). In the current context of encroaching industrial developments into indigenous homelands and the strengthening of Indigenous rights within Canadian Supreme Court rulings, the role of mapping TLU information is central. Who is conducting the research, what tools are used, and how this information is shared are all key questions being asked in the Indigenous context. As a result, the quality of spatial data has become a critical part of these engagement processes. This paper focuses on the intersections of new methods of TLU/IK data collection, namely a direct-to-digital approach that seeks to minimize misrepresentation and mistranslations of IK. From these intersections, the authors recognize the need to establish Indigenous-led quality indicators that directly address the introduction of new methods into the TLU/IK field. Indigenous geographic information and spatial data quality indicators will better address the current needs of Indigenous communities in the negotiation of resource developments in their territories, and provide a new path forward for enhancing the use of geospatial technologies in Indigenous communities.

Keywords:

• traditional land-use studies
• cybercartography
• PGIS
• Indigenous mapping
• participatory method

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rachel Olson

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Rachel Olson is a citizen of the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation from the Yukon, Canada. She has been a researcher in First Nation communities since 1998, working on various projects, from oral history, TLU, and natural resource management to First Nations health issues. Rachel holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex. Rachel is a technical lead of the Traditional Knowledge and Use Study team at the Firelight Group. She has authored numerous TLU/IK reports for First Nation communities in BC, Alberta, and the NWT. Her work has focused on knowledge and use in relation to a number of different industries including: pipelines, wind farms, and mining. She has also testified at environmental review board hearings on direct-to-digital TLU methods, analysis, and assessment.