Critical Reflections on (Post)colonial Geographies: Applied Anthropology and the Interdisciplinary Mapping of Indigenous Traditional Claims in Canada during the Early 20th Century

Abstract

This paper examines tensions between mapping as a practice of nation building and the practice of applied anthropology and “counter-mapping” in Canada during the early 20th century as expressions of Indigenous territoriality. This research helps to correct a misconception within the scholarly community that counter-mapping as an applied practice within anthropology emerged during the 1950s and 1960s. Tracing the emergence of this practice through Frank Speck's anthropological work on the family hunting territory complex during the early 1900s provides important context for understanding the history of and continued use of maps and mapping practices to challenge colonial ideologies and support Indigenous claims for land and access to resources.