Mapping Kanyen'kéha (Mohawk) ethnophysiographical knowledge

Abstract Ethnophysiography is an emerging multidisciplinary field which studies the linguistic coding of landscape and hydrographical terms, and generic geographical delineation. Ethnophysiographical terminology is influenced by language, culture and environment, and much of the richest data come from the languages of Indigenous peoples who hold “cumulative, collective experience” of a particular geographic location derived from generations of experience of living on a landscape ( Brodnig and Mayer-Schonberger, 2000 ). Place names are one way of transmitting this type of knowledge, and descriptive place names in particular often encode ethnophysiographical concepts. Since geography is a critical component of Indigenous Knowledge, place names, and ethnophysiography itself, cartography is a natural tool for data collection and analysis. This chapter examines how a cybercartographic approach to ethnophysiographical mapping together with Indigenous communities promotes ethical and responsible collaboration as well as respect and security of Indigenous Knowledge. The authors present a model for cooperative mapping of Indigenous Knowledge together with a case study of the mapping of Kanyen'keha (Mohawk) ethnophysiographical data through examination of a descriptive place name. We also demonstrate how resulting atlases derived from the cybercartographic approach and Indigenous Knowledge provide both emic and etic viewpoints, allowing for the sharing and collaborative production of knowledge across languages, cultures, and differing worldviews.