<strong>Mapping</strong> for Social Change Annita Lucchesi There are women and girls whose voices deserved to be heard, whose contributions were missed, due to <strong>the</strong> colonial violence that took <strong>the</strong>m from <strong>the</strong>ir families, communities, and nations. 18 <strong>Mapping</strong> <strong>Meaning</strong>, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Journal</strong>
<strong>Mapping</strong> for Social Change Annita Lucchesi deserved to be heard, whose contributions were missed, due to <strong>the</strong> colonial violence that took <strong>the</strong>m from <strong>the</strong>ir families, communities, and nations. This colonial violence is seen in myriad forms—police brutality, disproportionate rates of gender violence due to racial stereotypes and gaps in <strong>the</strong> justice system, <strong>the</strong> overrepresentation of indigenous girls in foster homes and in sex trafficking, and <strong>the</strong> imposition of a Western patriarchal system of power, for example. Each one of <strong>the</strong> signs called attention to that violence, and located it in specific places and in <strong>the</strong> lives of specific victims. As a cartographer, my current work examines how maps telling stories about MMIW can help to generate new knowledge on <strong>the</strong> issue, and offer a more holistic understanding of <strong>the</strong> impacts of such violence. Wanting <strong>the</strong> signs to tell a story of resilience and resurgence, and not just of loss, I created a map depicting where <strong>the</strong> signs were carried. There were a number of strategic choices made in <strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tics of <strong>the</strong> map. First, it was drawn in <strong>the</strong> shape of a ribbon skirt—a cultural garment many indigenous women across <strong>the</strong> US and Canada wear at special events, ceremonies, community functions, and increasingly, at political actions. Indeed, ribbon skirts became commonplace at Idle <strong>No</strong> More protests, Women’s Marches, MMIW awareness events, and even at efforts to stand for water at Standing Rock. Different families and communities have varying teachings on <strong>the</strong> origins and meanings of ribbon skirts, but more generally, <strong>the</strong>y are meant to represent <strong>the</strong> sacredness of women, <strong>the</strong> relationship women have to <strong>the</strong> earth, and <strong>the</strong> cultural vitality of indigenous women today. Designing <strong>the</strong> map in <strong>the</strong> shape of a skirt is in honor of <strong>the</strong>se ideas and uses of <strong>the</strong> ribbon skirt, and takes inspiration from a popular form of public awareness on MMIW—symbolic displays of dresses, skirts, or women’s garments. Ribbon skirt by Marisa Miakonda Cummings The colors on <strong>the</strong> skirt are also meaningful. The body of <strong>the</strong> skirt is red, <strong>the</strong> primary color used in MMIW organizing, and <strong>the</strong> ribbon <strong>Issue</strong> N o 2 19
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