A place name can change in different eras, disciplines, languages, and perspectives. The questions below can help you think through how to describe your place. You can use this language to:
- Write keyword searches in archival collections, library databases, and Google.
- Browse information resources that are organized or tagged.
- Think through what sources you need to seek out, particularly for government information from tribes, First Nations, and colonial entities.
- Read and contextualize the information that you find through your searches.
Questions about your place's name
- What are the names of the Indigenous nations whose traditional territories your place is within? Are there variations of these names in multiple languages?
- What colonial jurisdictions does your place fall within? What are the names of the town, county, state, or province that your place is within?
- Are there any treaties that include your place?
- What geographic names include your place? Are there islands, archipelagos, or bodies of water that your place includes? Is your place a part of any of these?
- Have any of the names above changed recently or at different times in the past?
- Are there names for your place in multiple languages?
- Does the spelling of your place name vary in different contexts?
- Are there other places that share a name with your place? How can you tell the difference when searching online?
- What are the geographic coordinates of your place?