Toponym and Evocation of Cultural Landscape Heritage: A Case of an African Community

Abstract

The understanding of how places are named by indigenous people has practical applications in the diverse field of studies that deal with human behaviour. However, few studies exist on how cultural landscapes toponym are conceptualized, especially in non-Western landscapes such as Africa. An empirical study, which includes in-depth interviews with the local Nupe respondents in central Nigeria shows that toponym is tied to transactions that evoke identity, power, heritage, and sense of place. The study contributes to our understanding of indigenous people’s interactions with the physical environment. This by extension evolves the cultural heritage and values of an African community. Most importantly is that the research demonstrated that toponym can be used to evoke the community’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.