Official Recognition of Canada's Aboriginal Toponymy: an Historical Perspective

Abstract

AbstractFrom the early days of a national geographical names board in Canada, at the tum of the century, this authority has been concerned with the official recognition of Aboriginal toponymy for government and public use. Initially, the principles of nomenclature of the Geographic Board of Canada addressed the writing of such names; in more recent years the work of the Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (CPCGN) has included a wider ranging approach.The CPCGN has provided forums for discussion of languages and writing systems; has published guidelines for field collection and bibliographic material; and has addressed the use of extended Roman alphabet characters for spelling Aboriginal names on the Canadian Geographical Names Database.Recording Aboriginal names from oral tradition and the systematic creation of records at provincial/territorial and national levels will continue to be a significant activity of the CPCGN into the twenty-first century.