Territorial Acknowledgement in Cartography

On a daily basis, I work with maps that communicate the topography, and the relationships that exist on the land and in the sea. As a coastal planner and cartographer, I recognize the importance that maps have on understanding the landscape; however, am mindful that maps have also played a significant role in colonizing Indigenous lands by white settlers. As a queer woman with white settler ancestry, It is my role as a cartographer to evaluate my positionality with how I create maps, and to prioritize my work as an ally in decolonizing the land through mapping practice. Scholars in this field, such as Annita Lucchesi have helped ground my practice as a cartographer. It is important to not only learn about the past and how I can move forward in a meaningful way, but to embody this learning into my mapping practice.

Not only do I want to bring forward this statement as a professional, but also as an emerging PhD Student at the University of Victoria, the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

This territorial acknowledgement intends to act as a commitment to all Indigenous lands when working with spatial data, and creating maps that reflect the relationships within the land and sea. This statement is always evolving, and will continue to grow from the reflections and knowledge gained from those who have had long-standing relationships with the land since time immemorial. I promise to continue to strive and work towards decolonization and reconciliation on Indigenous lands through cartographic practice.