LINGUIST List 25.1536

Tue Apr 01 2014

Media: New, unique Native American maps using autonyms

Editor for this issue: Malgorzata Cavar <gosialinguistlist.org>

Date: 31-Mar-2014
From: Aaron Carapella <carapellaaarongmail.com>
Subject: New, unique Native American maps using autonyms
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My name is Aaron Carapella. I have created the most comprehensive map of pre-contact Native America to date. This map uses Native American Nation’s original indigenous names for themselves, and shows where tribes were just before contact with outsiders. The intent of this map is to instill pride in Native peoples and to be used as a teaching tool from a Native perspective. This map is part of my Tribal Nations Map series - which covers the Nations indigenous to the "United States," "Canada," "Mexico," and - currently in progress - "Alaska."

Unique to these maps is the concept of utilizing correct tribal autonyms. That is, most names of Native American Nations used today derive from other tribe's languages or descriptions by non-Indigenous people. Lost through time by the dominant society have been the correct terms used by tribes themselves. While tribal people have gone on calling themselves interchangeably by their true names and given ones, the rest of the United States generally has ignored these self-identifying terms. These maps attempt to recollect and centralize all of this valuable cultural information. I have a link on my website called the "List of Indigenous Names and Their Meanings" for those who would like to dive into the linguistic breakdown of these names, found here: http://tribalnationsmaps.com/list-of-indigenous-names-and-meanings/

Here is a You Tube video featured on TV:

http://youtu.be/-Ukjc7Y1ncc

Here is an article discussing my US Nations map:

http://www.tulalipnews.com/wp/2013/05/22/first-indigenous-map-of-its-kind-u-s-map-displays-our-own-names-and-locations/

Here is my website (pdf link to zoom in available):

www.tribalnationsmaps.com


Wado diginali (thank you friends),

Aaron Carapella

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics

Subject Language(s): Cherokee (chr)

Page Updated: 01-Apr-2014