Cultural landscapes and ethnographic cartographies: Scandinavian-American and American Indian knowledge of the land

Recent ethnographic studies have provided a basis from which federal land managers can identify and protect cultural landscapes. We have combined the use of geographic information systems with traditional ethnography to collect, analyze, and present data descriptive of spatially large and complex landscapes. Through a brief discussion of two recent landscape studies involving American Indians in southern Nevada and Scandinavian-American folk fishers in Isle Royale, MI, we present a cultural landscape approach to land management that promotes cooperative decision-making, co-management, and partnerships. Relevant methods are suggested for collecting and analyzing cultural landscape data that aids land management decision-making.