Nisga'a Place Names. Click for interactive version.
Google is putting together a workshop together with the Indigenous Mapping Network:
On February 25th and 26th, 2010, Google and IMN will host a workshop on the Google campus for members and staff of indigenous groups who want to learn about Google geospatial and mobile technologies. This hands-on workshop will approach Google technologies with the special concerns of indigenous communities in mind, and will focus on the technical aspects of using Google Earth, Google Maps, Sketchup, Android mobile phones and Open Data Kit, among other technologies.
I’m pretty sure both parties are on it, but despite Google’s corporate motto of “Do No Evil” uploading sensitive, spatially-referenced cultural information to their servers seems like something that would need some thought. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see this as a pro-active direction Google is taking. Canadian First Nations are some of the most GIS-savvy anywhere in the world. One of their main networks seems to be the Aboriginal Mapping Network, who have an excellent-looking book coming out soon called Living Proof: The Essential Data-Collection Guide for Indigenous Use-and-Occupancy Map Surveys by Terry N. Tobias. Also see their handy link to data sources especially for BC.
Northwest Coast Archaeology 