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SPATIAL REPRESENTATIONS AND IMAGINATIONS BEYOND MAPS: PRACTICES OF MIND-MAPPING AROUND AKSUM, TIGRAY [Abstract ID: 0514-08]
Modern maps, nowadays more and more used in daily practice in Ethiopia, create the illusion to "understand" a territory, and to have an objective access to it. They represent a territory, as they claim, based on the idea of proportional reproduction of the main features of a land or an area. But what are the main features? And are there possibly other ways of mapping which represent main aspects of a local territory in a totally different way? Anthropological field research, together with the analysis of historical sources, show that there are and were numerous different representations of geographical ideas and realities in traditional Tigrayan society, which are precious sources for the understanding of how a territory was and is perceived. This paper presents research on geometrical, abstract "maps" of Tigray and how they reflect local concepts of territory and practices of interconnections, different from modern maps which rather overlook the social aspect of territories. This is discussed together with other traditions of territorial representations, from natural sites, such as trees, representing peoples from different regions, to practical itineraries.