I was arguing with you in my head about the term "terra incognita" right up to the last paragraphs. I knew you'd have to make that turn eventually!
I wonder if you aren't making too much of the difference between colonial mapping and indigenous mapping, putting the latter into the realm of myth or "spirit world," or your term, phasmatopia. To me, the main differences are that one is more permanent and the other ephemeral; and of course one served colonial purposes and the other mapped the home territory and that of neighbors. North American Indians, for instance, had very practical maps, but mostly relied on memory and drawing them in ephemeral ways. Here's an article I just found about the indigenous people north of you and me: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cartography-in-canada-indigenous-mapmaking
excellent! very interesting that the drawn maps seem almost to have been an afterthought for the indigenous groups in the article—and also that they aren't necessarily concerned with reflecting "objective" reality accurately, with scale representations. it almost feels like calling them "maps" is an attempt to fit them into a modern continuity, when they're actually more like illustrated memory aids. the actual map (if it can even be called that) is really inside the pathfinder's mind. thanks for sharing that!
I was arguing with you in my head about the term "terra incognita" right up to the last paragraphs. I knew you'd have to make that turn eventually!
I wonder if you aren't making too much of the difference between colonial mapping and indigenous mapping, putting the latter into the realm of myth or "spirit world," or your term, phasmatopia. To me, the main differences are that one is more permanent and the other ephemeral; and of course one served colonial purposes and the other mapped the home territory and that of neighbors. North American Indians, for instance, had very practical maps, but mostly relied on memory and drawing them in ephemeral ways. Here's an article I just found about the indigenous people north of you and me: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cartography-in-canada-indigenous-mapmaking
excellent! very interesting that the drawn maps seem almost to have been an afterthought for the indigenous groups in the article—and also that they aren't necessarily concerned with reflecting "objective" reality accurately, with scale representations. it almost feels like calling them "maps" is an attempt to fit them into a modern continuity, when they're actually more like illustrated memory aids. the actual map (if it can even be called that) is really inside the pathfinder's mind. thanks for sharing that!