Importing Indigenous Names

[pmeisenheimer]

This topic includes elements that were discussed here:Displaying indigenous lands and land history on iNat which is a topic of direct relevance.

and here: Common Name Being Deleted - Mardi Gras Sharpshooter which is not a directly relevant thread but contains discussion, some technical, that is relevant.

This point:

@pmeisenheimer

If there is a critical mass of folks here with ethno-cultural-linguistic competence who want to start a working group to beef up the taxonomy functionality of the software, go for it, I say, as long it doesn’t turn into a postmodern deconstruction of taxonomy as a manifestation of hierarchy or some other questionable use of bandwidth. My own priorities would run toward putting in an effort to include indigenous names for species (especially when they appear in the scientific name) ahead of some other projects. In cases where there is an indigenous name but no English (or Spanish, or French, or Mandarin) common name, the indigenous name should be inserted as the common name. Cataloguing them would actually serve a purpose, although I’ll leave it up to others whether it’s a purpose suitable for iNaturalist.

is a bit broader than adding stuff to the Indigenous name slot and I hope folks see it as having merit. It probably wouldn’t apply in a lot of cases but it would serve as a useful foundation for moving forward.

I do have a concern that partly reflects the point made by @intyrely_eco

@intyrely_eco

Will have to be careful that the sources’ nuances are not lost on a non-speaker uploading many names without personal knowledge of the context, so should really be verified by a speaker, as with any languages. I would be concerned that it would easily be misused for non-speakers to upload names they have no understanding of.

The people best positioned to provide indigenous names are indigenous people and the best way to engage their knowledge would be to involve them in iNature directly. It’s not as if this sort of tech is alien to indigenous communities: the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board uses a platform produced by a company called Trailmark . If iNature wants their help, there would might be a cost; folks are tired of people taking their knowledge without compensation.