equal footing: bringing indigenous people in mexico to the negotiating table

Equal Footing is social cartography project that provides indigenous communities in Mexico with information and legal resources that they have never had. It is a transmedia part of the Keepers of the Earth film.Keepers of the Earth is a film following an indigenous Mexican man's struggle to keep his traditions intact as environmentalists and armed revolutionaries try to exploit the rainforest that he calls home. The technology piece comes in where he and his people are being zoned off of the land that they've lived on under the guise of protecting the rainforest. Digital tools can make this process more equitable as the local people have more chance to participate in the negotiations that will govern the region for generations."Equal footing" is meant to bring the indigenous people to the negotiating table with equal footing. With indigenous mapping and an interactive visual database, local groups can for the first time see the implications of the paperwork they're signing off on by having it projected onto a map. Moreover, they can help redraw the borders according to their wishes and concerns. Having the digital available as printouts on paper and vice-versa can help overcome the current technology barriers. And partnering with the right NGOs who have been there for decades ensures a grassroots led process.