Project Overview
In partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborators, we co-created an inclusive participatory mapping framework that integrates Indigenous ways of knowing with Western ecological science.
This pilot project centered on the creation of an ecocultural map of Xetthecum Retreat Cove, Galiano Island, BC, Canada, with a focus on Hul’q’umi’num’ species names and place-based stories.
The open source framework we created integrates various sources of information, including:
- historical and contemporary biodiversity data
- terrestrial ecosystem mapping
- written and spoken Hul’q’umi’num’
- stories of place
- other audio and visual media
Through this work we aimed to engage a diverse, multigenerational, and cross-cultural community in the documentation of Xetthecum’s sensitive ecosystems and cultural keystone species.
By fostering this diverse community of practice, and communicating this information in a format accessible to both land managers and the general public, we hoped to inspire a holistic approach to shle’muxun—a Hul’q’umi’num’ word which means “guardian of the land” or “stewardship”.
Beyond this pilot project, we plan to adapt these practices and digital tools in partnership with Whiteswan Environmental and other stakeholders in the Spirit of the Sxwo’le (SOS) Coalition to create ecocultural maps of significant sites throughout the Salish Sea.