Cultural mapping is a process used by First Nations communities all over the world to create a record of landscape, one that is imbued with activity, including law, language, culture and ethics.

CAN’s mapping projects use cultural mapping to create collaborative community-led artworks that draw on all those layers that exist in the landscape, physically and metaphorically mapping First Nations language, knowledge, stories and culture into the artworks. In this way cultural mapping becomes a form of truth-telling and reconciliation, a way of giving power and agency to First Nations communities, by amplifying language, knowledge, stories and culture.

Cultural mapping offers the broader community access to ancient and ongoing cultural knowledge, and ensures that both First Nations and non-First Nations people have the opportunity to form a deeper connection and understanding of the land on which they live.