More than 3,000 parcels of land belonging to indigenous peoples in Canada have been added to Google Maps and Google Earth, in an initiative that seeks to remedy what one First Nations cartographer described as a historical exclusion.
The project – which follows similar efforts by Google in the US and Brazil – was the fruit of seven years of collaboration between the company, indigenous communities in Canada and Natural Resources Canada, said the cartographer Steven DeRoy. A member of Manitoba’s Ebb and Flow First Nation, he was among Google’s partners on the initiative.
“It’s important to me because there are so many indigenous groups across the country, and to not see them as an important fabric of a base map, just to not be recognized, it’s insulting,” DeRoy told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Given that maps are a tool of power, the longstanding omission of indigenous lands was particularly significant, said DeRoy. “It’s unfortunate that indigenous people have been excluded from the maps and it’s taken a long time just to have that recognition – just to be showing on the maps.”
The thousands of parcels of land that now show up on Google’s platforms reflect First Nations reserve lands as well as treaty settlement lands.
DeRoy saw Google’s initiative as a vital component of Canada’s efforts towards reconciliation with the more than 1.4 million people who identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
“Mapping is very important to communities, to be able to demarcate their territories and identify the lands that are important to them,” DeRoy told the Financial Post. “It’s used in negotiations with government, resource companies and others.”
Google said on Wednesday that the seeds of the project were sown after it began to lead mapping workshops in 2014 with indigenous communities across Canada, The company was asked why indigenous lands didn’t appear on their maps, Tara Rush, a Google employee from Akwesasne territory, wrote in a blogpost. “So we set out to make that happen,” she wrote.
The results of their efforts to date were launched Wednesday, which was National Aboriginal Day in Canada. “This marks an essential step in accurately reflecting Canada to Canadians and to the world,” wrote Rush.
The initiative continues, with communities and individuals invited to reach out to the company with feedback on changes and additions. “The goal is to enhance cultural preservation, digital awareness and land management,” noted Rush.