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Cartography as a Tool for Indigenous Governance in the Multiethnic Indigenous Territory

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CATALINA RIVADENEIRA AND LEONARDO TAMBURINI FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

For Indigenous Peoples, territory is not merely a physical space; it is a fundamental element that shapes their culture. To enhance territorial management, the Legal and Social Support Organisation (ORE) collaborates with TIM authorities, providing georeferenced information on their shared natural resources, forest conservation, and monitoring and control systems. These maps combine ancestral knowledge with modern technology, creating a dynamic representation that honours traditions while responding to contemporary needs.

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Cartographies of Disaster and Memory: The Pilagá and Colonial Violence

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BY CARLOS SALAMANCA VILLAMIZAR FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

In 1947, the National Gendarmerie entered the traditional territory of the Pilagá people and killed dozens of Indigenous men, women, and children. The event became known as the “Pilagá Massacre” or the “Rincón Bomba Massacre”. It was only in 2019 that the Argentine judiciary recognised the responsibility of the National State and underscored the collective nature of the harm inflicted. Mapping initiatives have since made it possible to reconstruct the violent acts that foreshadowed the massacre, as well as the Gendarmerie’s assaults on Pilagá people who attempted to escape. Eight decades on, the restitution of territories violently seized from Indigenous communities remains unfulfilled.

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Cartography as part of the Training of Indigenous Agroforestry Agents in Acre

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BY RENATO ANTONIO GAVAZZI FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

BrazIn the Brazilian Amazon, Indigenous Peoples take part in cartography workshops where they learn to create their own maps of the territory. These workshops not only provide practical tools for managing and monitoring their lands but also give rise to genuine works of art that reflect their worldview. Unlike academic maps, Indigenous cartography is rich in colours, symbols and drawings, reinforcing both cultural identity and heritage.

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Mapping to Protect Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation: Lessons from Geographical Disputes in Yasuní

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BY MANUEL BAYÓN JIMÉNEZ AND AMANDA YÉPEZ SALAZAR FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

In 2008, the government introduced the Yasuní-ITT Initiative, which proposed leaving the oil reserves of Block 43 underground in exchange for international financial contributions that would acknowledge the ecological debt of the Global North. However, the initiative was not successful and, in 2013, the government wrote off the proposal and authorised oil exploitation. Society quickly organised: it denounced such destruction and demonstrated, through maps, the extent of encroachment onto the territory and lives of the Indigenous Peoples living in isolation. Finally, with the geographical evidence gathered, a favourable ruling was obtained from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in defence of Yasuní.

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Territory, Autonomy and Cartography in the Peruvian Amazon

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BY ALEXANDRE SURRALLÉS FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

The Peruvian State has disregarded international agreements safeguarding Indigenous rights by pursuing an aggressive policy of natural resource extraction and large-scale infrastructure projects. In response, and drawing on the concept of integral territory and the right to self-determination, Amazonian Indigenous Peoples have begun to demarcate their lands independently, without State endorsement. The initiative of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation has set in motion a process that is now being replicated by other peoples.

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About IWGIA

IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Read more.

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Indigenous World

IWGIA's global report, the Indigenous World, provides an update of the current situation for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Read The Indigenous World.

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