Meet the developer: Christine Luckasavitch McRae & Victor Temprano
Meet Christine Luckasavitch McRae and Victor Temprano, the driving force behind Native Land Digital. McRae runs businesses committed to reviving and celebrating Indigenous knowledge and practices, while Temprano is a self-proclaimed mapping nerd and social-minded programmer. The duo spoke with us about their own heritage, land acknowledgments, and more.
Play: Can you tell us a bit about your background? What land are you connected to, in the past or present?
Christine Luckasavitch McRae: I am Omàmìwininì Madaoueskarini Anishinaabekwe (Madaoueskarini Algonquin) and mixed settler ancestry. I live in my Ancestral territory in what is now the Algonquin Park region in Ontario, Canada.
Victor Temprano: I am not Indigenous – my family are settlers in Canada. My ancestors are largely Spanish, Dutch, German, and Indonesian. I am totally in love with the rainy green world of the west coast.
Victor Temprano: I am not Indigenous – my family are settlers in Canada. My ancestors are largely Spanish, Dutch, German, and Indonesian. I am totally in love with the rainy green world of the west coast.
Your app, Native Land, maps Indigenous territories. What should people know about land acknowledgements and why they matter?
CLM: The important thing about land acknowledgements is that they’re just one small step in acknowledging territory and building relationships. They can’t ever be token gestures. How will you enact that recognition – including in a physical way – of Indigenous peoples and territory? How will that change your everyday life? What do you have to change to give that acknowledgement actual meaning?
VT: When I first heard a land acknowledgement, it was in a coffee shop in Vancouver, and it amazed me that people would actually acknowledge the Indigenous presence and history of the land. It’s a fantastic way for settlers to begin uncovering knowledge that’s often been hidden during school education. It is, as Christine said, a starting point for further engagement, and hopefully the beginning of a process of developing a spiritual and emotional relationship with the land, too.
VT: When I first heard a land acknowledgement, it was in a coffee shop in Vancouver, and it amazed me that people would actually acknowledge the Indigenous presence and history of the land. It’s a fantastic way for settlers to begin uncovering knowledge that’s often been hidden during school education. It is, as Christine said, a starting point for further engagement, and hopefully the beginning of a process of developing a spiritual and emotional relationship with the land, too.
What regions have you mapped so far, and what was that process like?
VT: We’re never “done” mapping any regions – we are constantly being corrected and learning how to improve. We do, however, consider Canada, the USA, and New Zealand to be fairly well mapped out. We have a lot of territories and a researcher for Central and South America, as well. We have a ton of work to do in Australia, Africa, and other parts of the world.
The very early process was not complicated. I searched for official maps from nations, and if I couldn’t find them, then I searched academic sources, and if needed, I used whatever maps were available so that land wasn’t left blank. It’s been a long process of corrections as more information is made available, our team grows, and our research deepens.
The very early process was not complicated. I searched for official maps from nations, and if I couldn’t find them, then I searched academic sources, and if needed, I used whatever maps were available so that land wasn’t left blank. It’s been a long process of corrections as more information is made available, our team grows, and our research deepens.
With Native Land, you can enter an address or press anywhere on the map to learn about the Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties of that location.
What has your journey been like as an entrepreneur in tech?
VT: It’s been difficult but very rewarding. Native Land was my first mapping project, so I had a ton to learn on the tech side (although I had been making websites for years already). Navigating my positionality as a non-Indigenous person managing this resource was challenging – not to mention dealing with the volume of emails, comments, fixes, and requests on a daily basis.
Beginning to put together a Board of Directors, exploring outside funding, and hiring people like Christine – all this was a long, slow process, and I wanted to give up many times. But I and others care too much about this project, and I’m so glad we’ve had the support to get this far.
Beginning to put together a Board of Directors, exploring outside funding, and hiring people like Christine – all this was a long, slow process, and I wanted to give up many times. But I and others care too much about this project, and I’m so glad we’ve had the support to get this far.
You’ve stated that you hope to “strengthen the spiritual bonds that people have with the land, its people, and its meaning.” Can you tell us a bit about how you’re working toward this mission?
CLM: Native Land Digital is an open source platform for Indigenous peoples to represent themselves and their territories on their own terms. We have staff dedicated to strengthening relationships with Indigenous community members who work with us to most accurately represent their nations.
Native-Land.ca is often a starting point for non-Indigenous peoples to learn about whose Indigenous territory they’re on. We hope to encourage relationship building through self-learning.
VT: From an education standpoint, Native Land [often] introduces non-Indigenous people to Indigenous history, tradition, and culture. We believe that connection with the land and waters is a crucial part of properly honoring Indigenous culture, and that by opening this avenue of education, all people can become more connected with the land and access the spirituality embedded in nature.
Native-Land.ca is often a starting point for non-Indigenous peoples to learn about whose Indigenous territory they’re on. We hope to encourage relationship building through self-learning.
VT: From an education standpoint, Native Land [often] introduces non-Indigenous people to Indigenous history, tradition, and culture. We believe that connection with the land and waters is a crucial part of properly honoring Indigenous culture, and that by opening this avenue of education, all people can become more connected with the land and access the spirituality embedded in nature.
What’s next for Native Land?
CLM: We’re really looking forward to finding ways to amplify Indigenous stories - stories of joy, artwork, community-based projects, and so on. We’re hoping to use our platform as a place to share stories of Indigenous reconnection, resilience, and innovation on a global scale.
VT: While the map is important for us to keep improving and expanding, what we really want to do is amplify Indigenous voices. We want to provide a place where Indigenous people can be represented and seen on their own terms, and can connect with each other over new initiatives, projects, or ideas. We want to provide technological support for nations around the world.
VT: While the map is important for us to keep improving and expanding, what we really want to do is amplify Indigenous voices. We want to provide a place where Indigenous people can be represented and seen on their own terms, and can connect with each other over new initiatives, projects, or ideas. We want to provide technological support for nations around the world.
Discover Indigenous territories
