Reimagining historical and repeat photographs for Indigenous land use planning

Abstract ID: 3.13134
|Review Result Accepted as Talk
|Abstract registered Abstract is registered
|Presentation Time Slot TBA
|Presentation Location TBA
Wright, C. (1)
Snow, B. (2); and Higgs, E. (1)
(1) University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, V8P5C2 Victoria, CA
(2) Stoney Tribal Administration, 40 Morley Rd, T0L 0E1, Mînî Thnî, Alberta, CA
How to cite: Wright, C.; Snow, B.; and Higgs, E.: Reimagining historical and repeat photographs for Indigenous land use planning, International Mountain Conference 2025, Innsbruck, Sep 14 - 18 2025, #IMC25-3.13134, 2025.
Categories: Culture, Ecosystems, History, Remote Sensing
Keywords: Indigenous land management, Repeat photography, Historical archive, Spatial analysis, Place naming
Categories: Culture, Ecosystems, History, Remote Sensing
Keywords: Indigenous land management, Repeat photography, Historical archive, Spatial analysis, Place naming
Abstract

Over the last four years, members of the Iyarhe (Stoney) Nakoda Nation and the Mountain Legacy Project have collaborated on repurposing a colonial photographic archive to support Indigenous resurgence. Through archival research, a systematic collection of high-resolution historical (1861 to 1958) images has been used to reinforce Stoney ties to the lands around present-day Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. Combined with repeat photographs showing the landscape as it is today, the images provide a powerful testimony of change and urge us to look to a future of Indigenous-led land management. In this presentation we will report on several applications for historical and repeat photographs including: youth and Elder engagement; place naming; and landscape change analysis using custom software tools developed at the University of Victoria.