Indigenous cartographies and mapping abundance

Abstract

Indigenous cartographies developed in Indigenous homelands in response to the distinctive relationships each Indigenous community had with its respective environments. Oftentimes, these cartographies are embedded in important cultural practices and maintained through mentored learning processes. The spatial knowledge recorded and shared in these systems encourages an attitude of environmental care and sustainable accountability. Returning to these systems has been instrumental for Indigenous communities who are reconnecting with their ancestral wisdom. Including these perspectives in classrooms by adding the articles from this special double edition to reading lists will expand the depth of discussions geographers have about Indigenous research and their responsibilities (as opposed to roles) to the process.

Indigenous research sovereignties: Sparking the deeper conversations we need

“…More recently though, the focus has shifted toward identifying and evaluating the efficacy of specific research methods within Indigenous led and partnered research (Drawson et al, 2017; Windchief and San Pedro, 2019). Within this thematic issue, four articles and one of the commentaries seek to address the practices and methods aspect of research sovereignty (Arnold et al, 2023; Awasis, 2023; Forster, 2023; Lee et al, 2023; Louis, 2023). We encourage more researchers to write about and report on the implementation of specific methods within their research projects with Indigenous communities.…”