Cartography, territory, property: postcolonial reflections on indigenous counter-mapping in Nicaragua and Belize

Abstract

The attention given to indigenous peoples' use of maps to make claims to land and rights of self-government raises the question: what exactly it is that these maps do? This paper outlines an analytic for examining indigenous mapping projects, drawing upon two prominent instances -by the Maya of Belize and the Mayangna community of Awas Tingni in Nicaragua -where human rights lawsuits have been woven together with participatory mapping. In each case, map-making was intricately linked to the formulation of legal claims, resulting in a pair of muchcelebrated maps and legal precedents regarding the recognition of indigenous land rights. We argue that these strategies do not reverse colonial social relations so much as they rework them. Notwithstanding the creativity expressed through these projects, they remain oriented by the spatial configuration of modern politics: territory and property rights. This spatial configuration both accounts for and limits the power of indigenous cartography. This impasse is not a contradiction that can be resolved; rather, it constitutes an aporia for which there is no easy or clear solution. Nonetheless, it must be confronted.

Uso comunitario de pequeños vehículos aéreos no tripulados (drones) en conflictos ambientales: ¿un factor innovador desequilibrante?

“…Huelga decir, no obstante, que dichos procesos han sido criticados en algunas ocasiones por ser susceptibles de generar problemas o conflictos en las comunidades participantes (Bryan & Wood, 2015;Hodgson & Schroeder, 2002) y por hacerlas legibles al sistema de propiedad de la tierra y la configuración territorial del estado neoliberal (Wainwright & Bryan, 2009). …”

Human-Environment System Boundaries: A Case Study of the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces as a World Heritage Cultural Landscape

“…They found that the understanding of territory for the Awas Tingn was closely related to their living patterns and customs. The Awas Tingn believed that any area that had a close long-term connection to their life and their conventional habitual behaviors were part of their territory [33]. The spatial sense of a long-term living experience is thus seen to be significant in maintaining the sustainable development of a human-environment system.…”

Mapping Territories, Land Resources and Rights: Communities Deploying Participatory Mapping/Pgis in Latin America

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