Map Sources
Nations Amies et Ennemies des Tchikachas
Indigenous Knowledge map as conveyed by a member of the Chickasaw Nation in the 18th century. This map shows the emphasis on social networks and relationships within the landscape.
Historical Maps
As outsiders, archaeologists must acknowledge inherent and personal biases in the sources of information we utilize. Historical maps, while incredibly useful for visualizing landscapes, distributions, and locations in the past, also exhibit incredible prejudices. Mapmakers draw maps to fulfill a purpose or agenda, explicitly or implicitly, such that the information presented or omitted, the symbology utilized, and even the chosen scale imbue maps with this purpose/agenda, as well as the culture of the mapmaker.
Indigenous Knowledge of the landscape, its hazards and resources, social and political relationships, and actions and symbols, is recognized in Native American Studies such that “Land” is a fundamental premise. In turn, Indigenous Knowledge of the landscape was invaluable to Europeans. Waselkov (1989:293) relates stories of Europeans asking for cartographic information from Native peoples and their astonishment, irritation, and frustration with obtaining desired knowledge. Many Euro-American maps are cartographic translations of Indigenous Knowledge. Among the many things lost to the historical record of maps, is the complex mutual understanding of the cartographic symbology from numerous cultures that went into producing maps that survived. Did the English understand that paths depicted as trailing off represented war paths, and solid paths were trading routes? Did they comprehend that their ability to “label” places as their own was the same ethnocentric practice as placing one’s own tribe at the center of a map?
Regrettably, only a few maps created by the Indigenous peoples of the Southeast survive to the present day. Consequently, we must heavily rely on maps created by Europeans, many of which were either based on Indigenous Knowledge or were direct copies of maps drawn by Native peoples. While these versions are undoubtedly biased, they still offer valuable insights. They can aid in our understanding of past landscapes, social organization, structures, migrations, and the social and economic conditions at specific points in the past. However, it is crucial to remember that these historical sources are not comprehensive representations of the past, as they are inherently influenced by the perspectives and agendas of their creators.
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma utilizes historical maps extensively in their research. Historical maps are a key line of evidence for identifying ancestral Choctaw in space and time, as well as demonstrating continuity with the present. Place names contain deep meaning and connection to the past, and the CNO staff review project locations to identify Indigenous places, events, and people across their ancestral homelands.
