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Indigenous Research & Knowledges in North America: Maps & Geography

This guide is a starting point for exploring resources related to indigenous knowledges, centering the viewpoints of, and scholarship by, native peoples in North America.

This portion of the guide suggests specific resources related to Indigenous peoples organized by geographic area. It is important to note that these geographic names and categories are often different from the placenames Indigenous peoples use for their ancestral lands. For mapping across geographic areas, explore the "mapping" section under the format/process tab. 

Colorado & Southwestern United States

The Rockies: An Arapaho Perspective 

  • Hinono’eino (Arapaho) knowledge of the land extends far and wide across the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and beyond. This map covers the modern states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

 

Southwestern Nations GIS/Map servers:

Not all tribes offer public access to mapping of their lands. Please contact tribes directly to inquire about access to mapping.

A:shiwi A:wan Ulohnanne – The Zuni World, article about Zuni art maps with examples.

North America

Tribal Nations Maps is a Native American owned business. The company's owner spent countless hours pouring through books, investigating in library archive buildings, making phone calls and traveling to remote reservations in the spirit of creating the most thorough map of Native America in existence. 

Invasion of America: Between 1776 and 1887, the United States seized over 1.5 billion acres from America's indigenous people, by treaty or executive order. Explore how in this interactive map of every Native American land cession during that period.

Map of Indian Lands Judicially Established

NAGPRA Consultation Map: The data in this map is available to facilitate consultation and research related to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 

Land-Grab Universities, from High Country News: Article and mapping site shows land parcels seized to fund land-grant universities.

Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada: For purchase or to view online.

Indigenous Peoples of Canada Giant Floor Map: This resource will assist teachers and students in understanding the past, present and future of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Coming Home to Indigenous Place Names in Canada was created to mark the 150th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. The map honors Indigenous place names in Canada and the assertion of Indigenous authority through place names.

Indigenous Peoples, Places & Maps: Selected Resources from Vancouver Island University libguide covering Vancouver Island area.

World

The Decolonial Atlas is a growing collection of maps which, in some way, help us to challenge our relationships with the land, people, and state. It’s based on the premise that cartography is not as objective as we’re made to believe. The orientation of a map, its projection, the presence of political borders, which features are included or excluded, and the language used to label a map are all subject to the map-maker’s bias – whether deliberate or not. Because decolonization is a process of unlearning and rediscovering, we’re especially committed to Indigenous language revitalization through toponymy – the use of place names.