Introduction

Humankind identifies itself through language, gestures, behaviour, and other defining characteristics. Among these, the specific linguistic body of proper names exists as an essential tool of the human mind's capability to sort, organize and assess the mental, social and physical environments. Like names for people and animals, names for geographical places and spaces are a crucial means to situate oneself and others as is discussed in this issue on "Spaces–Places–Names." Geographical names are specific cultural and linguistic expressions of the intricate relationship between humans and the environment. Geographical names represent a complex corpus of refined knowledge accumulated over long periods of time by peoples living in different ecosystems. These place names, originally solely contained in oral traditions, are mental records or maps of spatial organization that provide a structure for maintaining and developing the information essential to know the physical surroundings as well as the human dimensions. Furthermore, place names, as a crucial component of any language, contain a territorial dimension indicating the range and limits of diverse cultures and languages. On one hand, place names as proper names grow out of the intensive links between people and their environment; thus they are part and parcel of the human heritage and oral tradition—the cultural indicator. On the other hand, strongly supported by written traditions and visual maps, place names are also a very effective political indicator of territoriality and sovereignty for both Aboriginal peoples and for expansionist and conquering interests. Place names have also served as political symbols for national movements of independence and self-government for Aboriginal peoples in centralized states. The processes above mentioned have taken on different forms in various cultural and political settings and have represented different premises and goals. However, a common element seems to be the expected recognition of one's cultural and political rights to self-determination in order to create equality among peoples, cultures and languages that would level the disadvantages given by imbalances in numbers, territory and power. The challenge for any society is to attain equal rights to heritage, culture, language and—an important part—their place names. How can this goal be achieved in modern times with all the knowledge and technological means available? As in other cultures and languages, Inuit place names have been passed on from generation to generation by oral tradition since time immemorial. This temporal process has changed and adapted through its own dynamics that are bound to the interchange between peoples and their environments. In their varying characteristics and content, place names represent the intimate expression of the close relationship between Inuit and the Arctic landscape on a very locally defined level. Thus, these evolved place names are part of the cultural heritage carried on by communities. These place names systems are interconnected and can be identified as a larger functional system supporting the cultural and linguistics expectations of the Inuit communities as a whole throughout Canada and the circumpolar North. The contributions to this issue represent a range of topics related to place names. Each in their own way Claudio Aporta, Darren Keith, and H.G. Jones discuss the dimensions of geographic knowledge and perception in relation to the spatial organization of human activities. Ludger Müller-Wille looks at the socio-linguistic, political, and legal aspects of Inuit and Sámi toponymy. Béatrice Collignon relates her experiences of conducting toponymic surveys with Inuit and the issues around transferring oral traditions into written ones. Bernard Saladin d'Anglure explores the spiritual dimension of place names as a symbolic appropriation of space and Françoise Morin extends this discussion to the protection of sacred sites and their names in the international arena. These contributions can only …