Revitalizing the Place Names Project
The Hupačasath community uses oral history, as told by community members whose stories are their own, to paint a picture of their territorial history. This traditional knowledge was first mobilized in a digital format as early as 1999 during the Hupačasath Place Names Project. The project moved place name information from the Hupačasath’s initial Traditional Use Study (TUS) into a format that was accessible to community members and more specifically youth who were interested in learning about the history of over 100 places in the Hupačasath territory. This project had the aim of “putting the information [place names] into a format that was both accessible and interactive” (Hupačasath Place Names Project, 2002). The project wished to document the place name pronunciation through audio, language, and static map imagery.
During the Winter and Spring of 2019, the Hupačasath GIS team and a graduate student from the University of Victoria conducted interviews and workshops with Hupačasath community members. The intention was to move the information from the Place Names Project into an accessible online mapping system for community use. This work resulted in the Place Names Project and additional place name information being mobilized in a Story Map format. This format provides visual representations of place, pronunciation, audio provided by Edward Tatoosh, and stories about the places within the Hupačasath Ha-houłee (territory).
Instructions
To interact, simply scroll down. There will be on-screen instructions to guide you through the narrative.