A new interactive map will allow people to explore First Nations territories, artists and more spanning British Columbia and beyond.
The Island-based First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) announced on Wednesday that they have launched a digital map that is the first of its kind in Canada, featuring information about Indigenous languages, arts and cultural heritage in B.C.
FPCC says the project was undertaken to coincide with National Indigenous History Month and combines and replaces earlier maps by the FPCC showing language and arts, from 2008 and 2012 respectively.
“The First Peoples’ Map is a significant visual representation of the incredible work being done by Indigenous people in B.C. to revitalize and celebrate our unique languages, arts and cultural heritage,” said Karen Aird, acting CEO of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council.
“Our hope is that this map will help non-Indigenous people to better appreciate Indigenous perspectives as one small step towards reconciliation. By combining all of this rich information together in one place, the map reflects an Indigenous perspective, by braiding important cultural elements together with the land.”
Those elements include audio pronunciations of Indigenous greetings, listings of local artists and important cultural sites, and more.
204 First Nations communities and language regions are represented in the map. Data on 34 First Nations languages and more than 90 dialects are also included.
Visitors to the online tool can search for specific geographic locations, browse using a sidebar, or input keywords and filters to narrow a search.
The project was made possible through a $50 million fund by the province of B.C.
“FPCC’s First Peoples’ Map is an incredibly valuable tool that everyone can easily use and learn from,” said Terry Teegee, Regional Chief, British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.
“First Nations in British Columbia celebrate diverse and living languages, arts, cultures and
heritages that this map largely captures.”
The map is available online at maps.fpcc.ca.
