杏吧原创 Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre Partner Wins Governor General鈥檚 History Award for Community Programming
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 (GCRC) is proud to announce that its partner鈥檚 Gwich鈥檌n Goonanh鈥檏ak Googwandak: The Places and Stories of the Gwich鈥檌n project has just won the 2020 Governor General鈥檚 History Award for Excellence in Community Programming.
This award-winning partnership with the Gwich鈥檌n Tribal Council Department of Cultural Heritage (formerly Gwich鈥檌n Social and Cultural Institute) brought Elders, youth, researchers, geographers/cartographers and designers together to present and celebrate Gwich鈥檌n place names and their associated oral history in a variety of ways:
- A for Gwich鈥檌n traditional land use areas in the Northwest Territories and Yukon,
- A with Gwich鈥檌n place names and associated oral history and traditional knowledge, and
- An official recognition of these names by the governments of the Northwest Territories and Yukon for appearance on maps at the territorial, national and international levels
These products are the result of 23 years of research that began in 1992 by the Gwich鈥檌n Tribal Council Department of Cultural Heritage working with over 74 Elders and traditional land users in Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic in the Northwest Territories. The Atlas is organic as information is still being added. The nomination of place names for official recognition is also ongoing. To date, more than 500 Gwich鈥檌n place names have been officially recognized, significantly decolonizing the maps of northwestern Canada.
Beginning in 2010, the Gwich鈥檌n Goonanh鈥檏ak Googwandak project sought to share this information and knowledge widely and make it easily accessible. Working with community steering committees composed of Elders and traditional land users, in partnership with the GCRC, the project group created a Gwich鈥檌n Cybercartographic Atlas.
The GCRC has been working with dozens of communities across Canada and around the world using their innovative atlas software framework for community mapping projects. This technology is being used in the Gwich鈥檌n Goonanh鈥檏ak Googwandak project with enhancements co-created with the Gwich’in.
鈥淥ur collaboration with 杏吧原创 University was particularly beneficial to both parties as it helped to make our Elders鈥 knowledge more readily accessible, and supported the university to grow and share their open source atlas framework more widely. This has resulted in the development of dozens of other Atlases from Alaska to South America to Asia,鈥 said Sharon Snowshoe, director of the Gwich鈥檌n Tribal Council Department of Cultural Heritage.
鈥淭he GCRC has worked in creating innovative cybercartographic atlases with Indigenous groups and organizations for nearly two decades,鈥 said Fraser Taylor, director of GCRC. 鈥淲e are very pleased to see this important recognition of one of our long-standing partners.鈥
The lasting impact of this project will be wide-ranging, helping to raise awareness and appreciation of Gwich鈥檌n place names at the local, national and international and is seen by the Gwich鈥檌n project team as one way to advance the process of reconciliation in our country.
Media Contact
Steven Reid
Media Relations Officer
杏吧原创 University
613-265-6613
Steven.Reid3@carleton.ca
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