First (National) space : (Ab)original (re)mappings of British Columbia ...

• Main Author: Brealey, Kenneth G.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0091437; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0091437

Before contact First Nations in what is now British Columbia were not mapmakers. Territory was demarcated experientially, by genealogy, oral narrative, ceremony, and the social arts. Since contact, however, and especially since the beginning of the comprehensive claims process in the early 1970s, First Nations have become mapmakers — not because they especially wanted to but because they had to. They have recognized that cartography — whether in court, at the treaty table, or for pedagogical purposes — is a way of validating Aboriginal title and rights. They have also recognized, however, that committing their geographies to maps is a risky endeavour. Much of what distinguishes First Nations' geographical space does not translate well in a cartographic register and Euro-Canadians generally lack the cultural equipment to interpret and evaluate what does. This dissertation tries to open a space where translation can occur. Drawing on both Native and ethnographic sources and guided by my experience and some of ...