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Explore the world of Indigenous place names
Find out how other Indigenous nations are reclaiming their place names, creating maps that tell their own stories, asserting their land rights, spreading the word and inspiring other mapmakers.
Resources for reading and research about place names
Anderson, S. (2004). “Saami Place Names and Place-making in a Minority-Majority Context.” In M. Jones & A. Schanche (eds.). Landscape, Law and Customary Rights. Report from a symposium in Guovdageaidnu-Kautokeino 26-28 March 2003. Nordic Saami Institute.
Andrews, T., Zoe, J. & A. Herter. (1998). “On Yamozhah’s Trail: Dogrib Sacred Sites and the Anthropology of Travel.” In Jill Oakes, et al. (eds.). Sacred Lands: Aboriginal World Views, Claims, and Conflicts. Occasional Publication No. 43. Edmonton: University of Alberta.
https://archive.org/details/uap_9781772122350
Armitage, P. (2006). The Labrador Toponymy Project and its Relevance to Archaeologists. Provincial Archaeology Office Newsletter. St. John’s: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Newsletter Vol.4, pp.47-51. http://parkscanadahistory.com/publications/mealy/v4-2006.pdf
Armitage, P. (2007). An Inventory of Candidate Places of Religious Significance to the Innu of Labrador. Report to the Innu Nation. Natuashish and Sheshatshiu, Labrador.
Bannon, S. & C. Jack. (2023). “Dissemination and Promotion of Indigenous Place Names.” United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4004476/files/GEGN.2_2023_84-EN.pdf
Basso, K. H. (1996). Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. https://public.gettysburg.edu/~dperry/Class%20Readings%20Scanned%20Documents/Language%20Readings/Basso.PDF
First Nations Education Steering Committee. (2023). Unit 4: The Power of Names. In BC First Peoples 12 Teacher Resource Guide. https://www.fnesc.ca/bc-first-peoples-12-teacher-resource-guide/
Cogos, S., Roué, M. & S. Roturier. (2017). “Sami place names and maps: transmitting knowledge of a cultural landscape in contemporary contexts.” Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 49.1 (2017): 43-51. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1657/AAAR0016-042?needAccess=true
Collignon, B. (2006). Knowing Places. The Inuinnait, Landscapes and the Environment. Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute, University of Alberta. https://archive.org/details/uap_9781772122015/page/n11/mode/2up
Collignon, B. (2004). “Recueillir les toponymes inuit. Pour quoi faire?” Études/Inuit/Studies. 28(2):89-106. https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/etudinuit/2004-v28-n2-etudinuit1289/013198ar/
Denton, D. (2007). “The Land as an Aspect of Cree history: Exploring Whapmagoostui Cree Place Names.” (Ed. H.C. Wolfart (ed.). Papers of the 38th Algonquian Conference. pp.143-154. https://ojs.library.carleton.ca/index.php/ALGQP/article/view/325/234
Department of Justice, Canada. (2020). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Originally published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2007. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/un_declaration_EN1.pdf
Dorion, H. (1970). Les noms des lieux montagnais des environs de Mingan: contribution à la connaissance de la toponymie aborigene de la Côte-Nord. Québec: Presse de l’Université Laval.
Fair, S. W. (1997). “Inupiat Naming and Community History: the Tapqaq and Saniniq Coasts Near Shishmaref, Alaska.” Professional Geographer.
Gray, C. & Rück, D. (2019). “Reclaiming Indigenous Place Names.” in Yellowhead Institute. https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2019/10/08/reclaiming-indigenous-place-names/
Hercus, L., Hodges, F. & J. Simpson (eds.). (2002). The Land is a Map: Placenames of Indigenous Origin in Australia. Canberra: Pandanus Books.
Hewson, J. (1978). “Micmac Place Names in Newfoundland.” Regional Language Studies. 8. https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/rlsn/id/598
Kapesh, An Antane. (1975). “Ces terres dont nous avions nommé chaque ruisseau.” Recherches amérindiennes au Québec.5(2) :3.
Kari, J. & J. A. Fall. (2003). Shem Pete’s Alaska: The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina. Second edition. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press.
Keith, D. (2000). Inuit Place Names and Land-use history on the Harvaqtuuq [Kazan River], Nunavut Territory. MA thesis, Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, Québec. https://mcgill.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/d36e0918-ba16-411d-85ef-33db6c977de8/content
Laituri, M. (2011). Indigenous peoples’ issues and indigenous uses of GIS. In T. L. Nyerges, H. Couclelis, & R. McMaster The SAGE handbook of GIS and society. SAGE Publications Ltd, https://sk.sagepub.com/hnbk/edvol/hdbk_GISsocieety/chpt/indigenous-peoples-issues-indigenous-uses-gis#text-section-0-0
Legat, A., Chocolate, G., Chocolate, M., Williah, P. & Zoe, S,A. (2001). Habitat of Dogrib Traditional Territory: Placenames as Indicators of Biogeographical Knowledge. https://research.tlicho.ca/sites/default/files/105-place_names_report-web.pdf
Mailhot, J. 1995. INNUTOP Mapping Project, Phase 1. Report to the Innu Nation, Sheshatshiu. May.
McHalsie, A. 2001. “Halq’eméylem Place Names in Stó:lo Territory.” In Keith Thor Carlson, et al. (eds.). A Stó:lo-Coast Salish Historical Atlas. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. Pp.134-153.
Müller-Wille, L. 1992. Guide to the Field Collection of Native Geographical Names. Prepared for the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/rncan-nrcan/M86-29-1992-eng.pdf
Nieminen, A. 1998. The Cultural Politics of Place Naming in Québec: Toponymic Negotiation and Struggle in Aboriginal Territories. PhD thesis, Department of Geography, University of Ottawa. https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstreams/65a8d656-a262-42ee-9030-55aa304522a4/download
Rayburn, Alan. 1985. “Native Place Names: We All Have Our Favourites.” Canadian Geographic. 104(6):88.
Saladin d’Anglure, Bernard. 2004. “La toponymie religieuse et l’appropriation symbolique du territoire par les Inuit du Nunavik et du Nunavut.” Études/Inuit/Studies. 28(2):107-131. https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/etudinuit/2004-v28-n2-etudinuit1289/013199ar/
Wonders, William C. 1987. “Native Claims and Place Names in Canada’s Western Arctic.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies. 7(1):111-120. https://cjns.brandonu.ca/wp-content/uploads/7-1-wonders.pdf