How Maps Can Be a Medium for Truth-Telling

*This blog was inspired by this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, Now More Than Ever, and the recent testimony during the Land, Sky and Waters Hearings by the Yoorook Justice Commission. It discusses violence and subjugation against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Content may be distressing to many people. Discretion is advised. 

“If you look at maps today, whether paper or digital, you’ll find a lot of blank space outside of highly populated cities and towns. That’s not how the Indigenous community sees their Country. It’s not two towns connected by a highway. It’s waterways. It’s many ceremonial sites linked together by walking paths. It’s a convergence of resources inside of the landscape. The highway is of little relevance. When you come to work with Indigenous communities you realise that space that’s been left blank in maps isn’t blank at all, it's rich with layers and meaning. It’s the centre of the universe.”

Andrew Dowding, Managing Director of Winyama

Maps are ever-present in our lives. They are used as a source of truth, telling us how to get from point A to point B and reinforcing to us the names and ownership of point A and point B. But before there was a Perth, there was Boorloo, and before there was a Banks Reserve, there was Warndoolier. This can be said for where you go to work, take your children to school, play footy on the weekend and come home to rest. The names by which you know these places today are likely no more than 230 years old. Maps, and the lines drawn on them, have been used to undermine and dispossess Indigenous people as owners of their Country. However, just as maps have been used against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, they can be used to reconcile with those truths. 

Australia’s economy was built from drawing tenure lines on a map. Surveyors, employed by the Government to determine land property boundaries and tenure did not recognise Indigenous peoples or their land systems that had already existed for thousands of years. They parcelled up land, creating freehold and leasehold blocks. In Western Australia’s Wheatbelt and Pastoral Regions, that land was granted to colonists for free, provided it was used for farming activities. Similar economic incentives for non-Indigenous people were seen in other parts of Australia. In Tasmania, land was gifted to free settlers. In Melbourne, half-acre lots were sold for low prices and settlers raced to secure the bargains. Only a few short years later, those buyers were subdividing their lots and selling for profits up to 60 times what they paid. 

The early years of colonisation were marked by widespread dispossession, violence, and death. British explorers set a precedent for the inhumane mistreatment of Indigenous peoples. The dark history surrounding surveying what we know to be the Canning Stock Route is an example of this. Aboriginal people were bound with ropes, and forced to help explorers find water. Starved of water themselves and fed salty beef, they were coerced into showing colonists gnamma holes and well-cared-for natural water sources.

Under British law, anyone crossing newly acquired settlers' property without permission was trespassing. Murder was considered a rightful action by property owners defending their land rights. The Colonial Frontier Massacres map, an example of how a map can be used for truth-telling, documents the atrocities against Aboriginal men, women and children. It is a confronting account of First Nations' lived experience during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

People can  be quick to say, “Well, it’s not like that anymore.” But for our Elders, it’s living memories. For some, the lines on a map that signified the reserves, stations and missions they were forced to stay on, or the town and city areas of segregation they were forced to live within run so deep in their mind and memory that they are unlikely to ever leave.

“We did some mapping work with Elders in the Southwest,” recalls Andrew. “There were very narrow areas of landscape where they were allowed to live. One Elder we spoke to lived on a reserve with their community. Surrounding the reserve were farms. However, only one of those farms would employ Aboriginal people. In town, there was a curfew to adhere to and police discrimination to enforce the policy. When you’re being regulated so highly, you realise that a person’s world is actually very small.”

Reflecting on another experience shared during a cultural mapping session he says, “Someone else we spoke to recounted their living conditions between 1940 and 1960. Out on a farm in a small shed on the border of someone's paddock. When the work was done they were told to simply leave.” Such stories of impoverishment are jarring, particularly for the younger members of our team, whose grandparents also hold these stories.

By mapping people's lives, we begin to understand the depth of the social and economic exclusion experienced by Australia’s First Peoples. It makes it more apparent as to why there is such a disparity between the financial wealth, education, and health outcomes of Indigenous Australians and the general population, as well as the spiritual distress endured. It is the legacy left by colonial surveying practices. While injustices against Indigenous Australians manifest differently today, they are still very much present. The recent outcome of The Voice Referendum, where 60% of Australians voted against the right for Indigenous people to have a voice in their constitution, serves as evidence of this ongoing marginalisation. 

As much as there is a desire for a reconciled Australia, the results of the recent Referendum have disheartened many on the progress. How can we ask for reconciliation when the extent of the past and ongoing mistreatment of Australia’s Indigenous community has yet to be fully understood? This is not meant to be negative but rather realistic. We do not have the opportunity for reconciliation without doing the necessary work.  

In that regard, work has begun. Year after year we’ve seen the Change the Date movement grow, and Acknowledgments of Country from corporate entities pick up traction. Happening right now in Victoria, the Yoorook Justice Commission is leading Australia’s first formal truth-telling enquiry to bring to light the ongoing injustices faced by First Peoples in the region. During one of these hearings, the 26th Surveyor General of Victoria acknowledged the role Surveyors played in dispossessing First Nations Peoples.

“I acknowledge that Surveyors-General both past and present played a role in the dispossession of First Peoples from their land; I acknowledge that under the direction of the governors and governments the role of Surveyors-General has accepted the premise of terra nullius; the survey and legal instruments produced from this work were one of the important steps which ultimately resulted in the dispossession and removal of First Peoples from their lands in this State; the land systems established in New South Wales initially and subsequently in Victoria did not recognise the occupation and possession of First Peoples; I accept and deeply regret that the presence on Country of Surveyors-General or surveyors under direction has caused First Peoples communities significant trauma and diminished their ability to care for Country, practice culture and exercise their rights; I acknowledge that this contributed significantly to a loss of culture and language and impacted the physical, spiritual and economic wellbeing of First People.”

Craig Sandy, 26th Surveyor General of the State of Victoria, Land, Sky and Waters Hearings, 2024

Acknowledging that sovereignty was never ceded should not be limited to a courtroom. We can, and should, incorporate this into everyday actions. Dual naming has emerged as truth-telling in action, a community example of such initiatives. As you leave Perth and drive south to Mandurah, you’ll see the reintroduction of traditional place names on freeway exits and local buildings. Across our nation, many examples of erased place names are resurfacing due to localised efforts to Indigenise the map. It should be noted that this reintroduction of traditional place names and seeing them in our day-to-day lives elicits diverse responses. For some, it becomes an educational moment; for others, an opportunity to reflect. It can also invoke feelings of empowerment, agitation or even denial. The unrest, instability and disruption of these societal shifts should be anticipated, just as the feelings of solidarity, cooperation and togetherness. The opportunity for true reconciliation can only be achieved through honest acknowledgement of historical truths and the associated feelings.

Now more than ever, with all the resources available, we should question the foundational stories and erased truths presented to us in our daily lives. Achieving a reconciled Australia requires a collective effort, and while work has begun, more effort is required. It is time for Australia’s general population to engage in personal reflection and education–examining our country's history, identifying what truly matters to us, and envisioning the future Australia we want to be part of. Then, we can move forward with purpose. 

Additional Resources, Questions and Answers

What is truth-telling?

Truth-telling encompasses any activity or process that exposes historical and/or ongoing truths. It should be understood as a multi-faceted and ongoing process. 

Truth-telling can take many forms. It can take the form of apologies, like the 2008 formal Apology offered by Kevin Rudd, memorials like the one sculpted by Uncle Badger Bates that exists in the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, or reports like the 1997 Bringing them Home Report and more. 

To read a more detailed definition of truth-telling check out ANTARs blog, ‘What is truth-telling?’

Where can Indigenous organisations begin if they want to use maps as a medium for truth-telling?

Geographic Information System (GIS) software can be used to collect, store, and represent cultural heritage information. Processing data in this medium is beneficial for communities as it provides a centralised, detailed source of truth that is visual and informative.

Winyama’s Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) Australia Program is the perfect place to begin if you’d like to learn how you can use GIS within your organisation. The IMW Australia Program is free, with in-person and online training available. 

What can local councils do to support truth-telling through maps?

If you work for a council considering dual-naming of sites, a great starting point is to engage with your local Aboriginal language centre. 

Explore First Languages Australia’s Language Centre and Programs map to help you find the Language Centre for your region. 

Additionally, if you are situated on Native Title settled land, reaching out to the relevant Native Title organisation is also a great starting point.