Memory Mapping

Places of importance to Indigenous peoples, or to those with long histories and close ties to the land include but are not limited to: sacred and historical sites, trade and travel ways, traditional plant gathering areas, and unusual land formations. These are places where stories, cultural narratives or legends took place, or where unusual energies gathered. Knowing these sites and passing on the stories, songs or other oral traditions related to them, can be a critical part of preserving cultural histories, heritage, and tribal or family identity that affirm historical bonds of belonging. Place names such as “Freak Mountain” – a peak outside of Lander, Wyoming or “Bishish’s Father”, the Crow name for the Tetons, are associated with rich stories and histories – in danger of being lost – but shared here by those who value the memories they pass on.