Archival documents often used terms that diminished the nationhood and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples (such as “tribe”). We assert the nation to nation relationship that tribal nations have. In many cases, however, the tribal/national affiliation of enslaved Native people was completely erased.
Decolonizing 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.
Decolonizing 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.
Decolonizing 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)
Decolonizing Names
European colonizers often assigned European names to Indigenous peoples (or garbled their Native names). When possible, we have used or restored the Indigenous names of people mentioned. In many instances, enslavers simply did not give a name at all in order to facilitate erasure and ensure conquest is complete.
Decolonizing Statement
Please note: The headings and terms below are largely derived archival documents, which often contain terms, phrases, and biases that reduce, minimize, or alter Native identities and views of the world.
