Immersive Traditional Places: An Investigation of Connection to Land, Lifeways and Language in 360-Degrees

The evolution of methods for the documentation, interpretation and dissemination of heritage andcultural information is constant as emerging digital technologies are becoming more accessible andavailable as common tools in society. This research claims that digital tools that are developed tocommunicate the diversity of human experience, cultural landscapes and community beliefs must beguided by the respective knowledge holders. To address this aim, the paper presents prototypeVirtual Tours of two areas with traditional place names by means of 360-degree imagery for Carcross/ Tagish First Nation. The method presented was analyzed for the appropriate knowledgerepresentation and access of cultural heritage information. Findings are presented to show that theproposed method highly benefits the communities engaged. The paper concludes with resultspointing to the educational opportunities the proposed method offers indigenous youth.Opportunities for future application of the tools utilized for this research are proposed and indicate acontemporary preference for future research and experimentation with emerging technology toguide their widespread adoption.