"Trump wants to colonize the world around him" - this goes beyond Turtle Island. The policies and initiatives being put forward by his leadership perpetuate a colonizing outlook on the world, in which money and power seek to overwhelm humanity and creation. I am thankful for your words, Kaitlin.
As a white woman of European descent, my ancestors came over in the 18th century and were part of land grabs for sure. I am not proud of this, and within my own family there is resistance to acknowledging this. I know that our country was born in violence, the country that we see today. I have listened to podcasts and read articles about white people, and what they thought about coming here, about the “savages“ and about the “simple minded people“ that they met. It’s sickens me to this very day. It is one of America’s original sins, the way indigenous folks have been almost obliterated from the face of America. Colonization has caused endless suffering in the past, and it continues to do so today.
"It was born in violence." That's always true. Always. Every place in the world not inhabited by the truly Indigenous was born in violence. Quite naturally, there are rare square inches of territory that do *not* meet that description. Perhaps parts of Australia. Micronesia. The Arctic rim. The few places where the first peoples to arrive are the peoples who are there.
More troubling is all the places that were born in *entitlement*. "Nice place ya got here. Very nice. It's ours now." Smells kind of like history.
Can amends be made? Perhaps. Some. Acknowledgement is good, a start. You can't re-establish status quo ante. You can't even establish what might have been. But acknowledgement -- true, sincere acknowledgement -- is something that can be done. Respect goes a long way.
100% agree with everything you wrote here. It's great to see another Potawatomi writer here in this space. You have my support. Migwetch. 🪵🔥
"Trump wants to colonize the world around him" - this goes beyond Turtle Island. The policies and initiatives being put forward by his leadership perpetuate a colonizing outlook on the world, in which money and power seek to overwhelm humanity and creation. I am thankful for your words, Kaitlin.
Thank you for writing this. I am sorry for the pain. There is much for me/us to do. Thanks for the encouragement. I pre-ordered your book now.
As a white woman of European descent, my ancestors came over in the 18th century and were part of land grabs for sure. I am not proud of this, and within my own family there is resistance to acknowledging this. I know that our country was born in violence, the country that we see today. I have listened to podcasts and read articles about white people, and what they thought about coming here, about the “savages“ and about the “simple minded people“ that they met. It’s sickens me to this very day. It is one of America’s original sins, the way indigenous folks have been almost obliterated from the face of America. Colonization has caused endless suffering in the past, and it continues to do so today.
"It was born in violence." That's always true. Always. Every place in the world not inhabited by the truly Indigenous was born in violence. Quite naturally, there are rare square inches of territory that do *not* meet that description. Perhaps parts of Australia. Micronesia. The Arctic rim. The few places where the first peoples to arrive are the peoples who are there.
More troubling is all the places that were born in *entitlement*. "Nice place ya got here. Very nice. It's ours now." Smells kind of like history.
Can amends be made? Perhaps. Some. Acknowledgement is good, a start. You can't re-establish status quo ante. You can't even establish what might have been. But acknowledgement -- true, sincere acknowledgement -- is something that can be done. Respect goes a long way.