Steve DeRoy presents on Indigenizing the Map: Restorying and reconciling our homelands using GIS

n 2014, Steve DeRoy founded the Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW), with a vision to build a conference that aims to provide Indigenous peoples, Nations, and organizations with the tools and training to put the pen back in the hands of communities, so they have the power to develop culturally relevant maps of their lands and their stories. Maps are frequently utilized by Indigenous Nations to communicate and defend Indigenous rights, titles and interests. The Indigenous Mapping Workshop is organized annually by The Firelight Group with strategic partners including Google, Esri Canada, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, Mapbox, the First Nations University of Canada among others. In 2020, the IMW was rebranded as a part of the global Indigenous Mapping Collective. It is a virtual space for mappers and trainers to share knowledge and resources with each other and view IMW content on demand. There are now more than 2,000 members from across the globe. Participants have attended IMW from over 40 countries and across 6 continents, and counting. This presentation will demonstrate how Indigenous Nations are restorying their territories using mapping and GIS technologies. This talk is part of the Institute for Integrative Conservation 2023-24 Conservation Speaker Series: "Histories and Hope". The Conservation Speaker Series is made possible through support and collaboration across W&M. The IIC thanks the many departments and units for their continued engagement in this series. This event is co-sponsored by the University of Richmond Spatial Analysis Lab and co-hosted by the W&M Center for Geospatial Analysis and the Society for Conservation GIS. This event is part of a series of events at W&M and University of Richmond in celebration of World GIS Week.