Indigenous Studies GIS resources

GIS Resources for Indigenous Studies

A collection of GIS data and online maps for research in Indigenous Studies. All are free.

Please note that some of these resources use colonial language.

GIS Data

GIS data can come in multiple formats for use in GIS software. The most common format is shapefile, which is what the following datasets are in unless otherwise noted.

• Aboriginal Lands of Canada Legislative Boundaries - includes Indian Reserves, Indian Land, and Land Claims for all of Canada.

• Aboriginal Mapping Network - site with links to potential GIS data resources.

• Canadian Census data - consult the government information drop-down on the Indigenous Studies subject guide to find population data for Canadian Indigenous populations. It is then possible to link census data with census boundary shapefiles using GIS to make maps.

• First Nations Settled and Unsettled Land Claims in Canada - dated 2000 from Global Forest Watch Canada.

• Geographical Names in Canada provides GIS data downloads by province which include Indigenous place names. More details from Natural Resources Canada.

• Historic First Nations Treaties in Canada - GIS dataset of pre-1930 treaty boundaries, published in 2000. Created by Global Forest Watch Canada.

• Native-land.ca provides API (.json) datasets for the territories, treaties, and languages on the map. Shapefiles from 4 November 2022 are available or right-click on Native-land.ca's API links (e.g. Treaties), "Save link as...", then open the .json file with a GIS software. Note the Native-land.ca disclaimer: "[T]he Native Land map does not represent or intend to represent official or legal boundaries of any Indigenous nations. You are free to use the dataset for your own maps and applications using the Native Land Digital API, but we encourage you to add a similar disclaimer on your own resource."

Online Maps

This list includes interactive online maps as well as downloadable scanned maps that were originally in print. Scanned maps can be georeferenced and digitized using GIS software such as Google Earth.

Also see the Indigenous & First Nations Cartographic Resources subject guide.

• Aboriginal Peoples digital maps (PDF and/or JPEG) - 30 modern and historical maps under the subject heading Aboriginal Peoples. From GeoGratis

• Ethnographic Mapping Lab (University of Victoria) - "Our lab is designed for GIS and qualitative data analysis supporting research and innovation in projects like traditional land use and occupancy mapping in indigenous communities" and 20 projects are shared.

• First Nations Profiles Interactive Map - map portal to First Nation community information, including links to First Nation community websites and First Nation Profiles. From Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

• First Peoples' Map of BC - "British Columbia is home to 204 First Nations communities and an amazing diversity of Indigenous languages; approximately 50% of the First Peoples’ languages of Canada are spoken in B.C."

• Gwich’in Goonanh’kak Googwandak: Gwich’in Place Name Atlas - "Gwich'in Elders and traditional land users [have been working to] to document place names and create an inventory of heritage sites in the Gwich'in Settlement Region."

• First Nations Reserves - Western Canada - 200+ online digitized (PDF) and downloadable maps from Library and Archives Canada. This database includes colonial language.

• Indigenous People's Atlas of Canada in print

• Inuit Nunangat Map - interactive online map of Inuit communities. From Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

• Maps of Treaty Making in Canada - over a dozen downloadable PDF maps of pre-1975 treaty boundaries in Canada. From Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

• Mi'kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas - interactive online map that includes audio file of place name pronunciation.

• Native Land - an Indigenous-led interactive map of Indigenous territories around the world, searchable by territory, language, or treaty. They make their data available (see above).

• Pan Inuit Trails - "The Atlas provides a synoptic view (although certainly incomplete) of Inuit mobility and occupancy of Arctic waters, coasts and lands, including its icescapes, as documented in written historical records (maps of trails and place names)."

• Residential Schools Land Memory Atlas - "This Atlas includes map modules that track many dimensions or themes related to Residential Schools." From Carleton’s Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre.

• Squamish Atlas - "The Squamish Atlas is a digital tool for public education of Squamish Language place names."

• Stories from the Land: Indigenous Place Names in Canada - "Indigenous place names reinforce an intimate relationship with the land, convey a broad range of knowledge such as travel routes and traditional hunting and fishing grounds, and are touchstones for history and legends. They also embody and honour the teachings of Elders, and are a tool for educating youth."

• Treaties and Agreements - 50+ references to maps in historic Canadian treaties and related agreements. From Library and Archives Canada. This database includes colonial language.