Students in our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Graduate Certificate program explored Canada through an Indigenous lens: the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. This giant atlas is one of the most comprehensive collections of Indigenous geographic knowledge ever assembled.
Students were tasked with exploring and interacting with the atlas, examining how Indigenous Peoples across Canada relate to their lands, languages, histories, and cultures.
The goal of the GIS program is to equip students with the technical skills to collect, analyze, and visualize spatial data. However, good GIS practice isn’t only about software proficiency – it’s about understanding context, community, and responsibility. Incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the curriculum is a natural and necessary part of that education.
From detailed maps of traditional territories to language distribution and historical land use, the atlas challenges people to think critically about how geographic knowledge is produced and shared.
If you’re a GIS student, educator, or enthusiast who hasn’t yet explored the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, please visit https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/ for more information.