The power of maps: cartography with indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon (PLA 54)
The inhabitants of Moikarakô, Pascale de Robert, Jean- François Faure and Anne-Elisabeth Laques share their experience related to supporting the Kayapó peoples in Brazil in making maps of their traditional land use management areas. These maps are made from satellite imagery and ground truthed using GPS. PGIS practice often evolves to address specific issues being faced by a community. This means that multiple tools might be used together, or in sequence to deal with those issues. This article describes how the Kayapo took the process into their own hands and redirected it, to produce and use maps as political tools to highlight the territorial and social unity that the Kayapó Peoples wish to emphasise.
Participatory Learning and Action (PLA, formerly PLA Notes) is the world's leading series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. PLA publishes articles on participation aimed at practitioners, researchers, academics and activists. All articles are peer-reviewed by an international editorial board. See: www.planotes.org
Article in: PLA 54. Guest-edited by: Giacomo Rambaldi, Jon Corbett, Michael K. McCall, Rachel Olson, Julius Muchemi, Peter Kwaku Kyem, Daniel Wiener, Robert Chambers.
Cite this publication
Available at https://www.iied.org/g02952