This research builds on my previous research with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, who have incorporated language planning into their community’s land planning (Schreyer, 2009). Currently, they are interested in having their Tlingit place names added to official Canadian government maps and this research will examine why this is of importance to their community, as well as their opinions on their role as a nation within Canada as a nation-state. This research will use the idea of “counter-mapping” or mapping from the perspective of the marginalized portion of society in order to use Indigenous place names, and hence, Indigenous languages, as a tool for raising awareness of Indigenous Stewardship in Canada.
Taku River Tlingit Place Names website: https://trt.geolive.ca/
Christine Schreyer, PhD 