Just another WordPress site
Decolonizing Stolen Relations
Nov, 2021
This document describes our initial thinking towards a decolonizing framework for Stolen Relations. The information we are currently entering into the database stems from archival documents written by the colonizer (the enslavers, supporters of enslavers). We want to provide a decolonizing context around these documents. This document “Decolonizing Stolen Relations” … More
Tribal Nation: We recognize that ‘tribe’ is often used in the colonial documents and diminishes the nationhood of Indigenous groups. We assert the nation to nation relationship that tribal nations have. In many cases, the tribal/national status of enslaved Indigenous peoples was completely erased.
Tribal Nation: Archival documents often used terms that diminished the nationhood and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples (such as “tribe”). In many cases, however, the tribal/national affiliation of enslaved Native people was completely erased.
Location: Colonial documents often impose European names for geographic features, thereby erasing Native names for places and rivers. We have tried to list the Indigenous name for the land listed in the archival documents on our project website.
Race: Racial terms in colonial documents are highly subjective and often served the purposes of colonial powers. This included, at times, minimizing or erasing Indigeneity in order to make individuals more enslavable. We recognize that labels are not sufficient in describing indigeneity and that simply listing “Indian” can erase indigeneity without specific tribe, nation, etc.
Sex: We recognize that the archive largely does not recognize that gender is fluid nor acknowledges two-spirited people. European colonizers often ignored the non-binary gender identities of some Native people. (or other blended version acknowledging colonizers dismissal of Indigenous culture)
