Mapping time from non-Western perspectives and the legacies of extraction. The Wemindji Cree Case Study

Team members: Genevieve Reid and Anthony Georgekish

Project Description

During the MappingBack workshop, our team built a 3D model of a map that considers the cyclical notion of time, which is central to many Indigenous communities’ conceptualization of the land. This project will be pursued by adding stories as a fourth dimension to the model. For the Cree in Wemindji, any map  must integrate stories of elders. We will gather a small group of elders and will record their stories about the Cree cycles of traditional activities, and about the changes that disrupt that cycle. The voices of Wemindji Cree elders will give life to the model that was built.

Expected Outcomes

With this project, we will be able to add audio recordings to the Atlas. Clicking on stories will add an interactive option to the 3D model that was built by the team working on representations of time. The cycles of Cree seasons and of traditional activities will be told in Cree by an elder in Wemindji. Other stories will  also describe changes that disrupt the cycle. In addition, we will provide short descriptions of the stories in English for the non-Cree speakers. Our project will bring the model alive, situate it in a Cree context, and challenge conventional western notions of a map.