Week 4

Independence Park Tour (INDE) Reflections

During the time of the Independence Park we were led by some of the folks at the National Park Service in the Independence Park Tour. 

As someone who was educated and lived in Canada for my whole life and moved to the United States last year it was incredibly interesting to observe the park and participate in a group tour about Independence Park. 

Like the prompt states, the park and tour emphasizes Philadelphia as the birthplace of freedom. Philadelphia as a birthplace of freedom to me is part of the project of settler colonialism.

In Canada, I have been a student in similar situations and tours in which we learn about the origins and histories of early settlers. It is common as part of the Ontario school curriculum to include education about the colonial history of Canada, and how the early settlers used to live. Often on these tours Indigenous peoples are completely erased from the narrative. 

During the tour of Independence Park, we also got a glimpse into the colonial history of the United States. One thing that I took away from the tour is this idea that the mention and narrative around slavery is quite similar to the conversations around colonization of Indigenous peoples. 

And what I mean by this is that there was very little to no mention of the long lasting intergenerational impacts of colonization and slavery for Black or Indigenous peoples in the United States. 

On the tour, it was interesting to notice the different moments in which there could have been interventions on the content and walk-through. I keep thinking about my own experience and training doing education about treaties and the history of colonization. 

Week 2: Collections

For the purposes of this second writing assignment I will lay out some of my initial interests and thoughts about arriving at an individual topic of study. I will introduce my area of research interest, and then I will lay out a proposed plan for research in Philadelphia. 

My main area of interest in my doctoral studies focuses on land back and Indigenous sovereignty. Within Indigenous Studies, the study of land back is emergent and evolving. Now more than ever, Indigenous communities and nations have witnessed the return of Indigenous lands. We see this through examples such as Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and various Indigenous nations who may have received land back in trust or through land easements. 

I am interested in the ways that Indigenous peoples can imagine or actualize land back. Because of this, I am interested as well in the context of this historical project and emphasis on early American history, how historically and in the past that Indigenous peoples and groups have resisted the occupation of land in early American history. After some writing and brain dumping of ideas, a question or topic area that I have decided on, is what are the historical examples of Indigenous resistance to land theft? 

After poking around the Electronic Technical Information Center (ETIC) Pubs and learning from my fellow interns about search terms. Some of the key phrases and search terms I plan to work with are: 

“Land” 

“Indian(s)” 

“Lenape”

“Iroquois” 

“Destroyed” 

“Land use” 

“Land treatment” 

I have included here a screenshot from Document Title: A Background Study Of Historic Land Use in ETIC after searching ‘land back’ and this was how I became inspired and interested to consider early resistance. 

For this reason, and after consideration of which special collection library repositories to work with, I have decided to focus with the Haverford Collection Libraries. 

The Haverford College Libraries is located at 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041, which is roughly a 39 minute drive from our hotel, or closer to 1 hour via transit. In terms of visiting the library and viewing the different collections it is recommended on their website that “Appointments are not required to use materials in Quaker & Special Collections. Visitors traveling from out of town are encouraged to contact staff at hc-special@haverford.edu prior to their visit, as this allows us to make sure materials of interest will be available during your visit.” My plan is to send a detailed email to the staff indicating which days would be good for me to visit and view specific materials of interest. I will need to use my laptop inside the collection and plan to mostly write and take photos if necessary. 

Under the Research Responsibilities tab of the website, it states that researchers are welcome to bring in their own laptop and tablets. Any personal items including water bottles and bags, lockers will be made available to researchers which I plan to access while there. 

There are various finding aids available for this collection, including staff support and other online resources available. I plan to make use of these during our time in Philadelphia. 

As a result, Haverford College Libraries is a good starting place to research Indigenous resistance to land theft and occupation. The Quaker & Special Collections hold rare documents such as letters, journals, and meeting records that show how Indigenous communities pushed back against colonization, especially in relation to discussions of land. My understanding is that the Quakers often involved meeting with Indigenous groups and nations, and these archives offer firsthand perspectives. Haverford also provides access to digital collections, research guides, and expert support to help visitors like us explore these archives.

What am I hoping to get out of this experience? What gifts do I bring to this group?....

I have been thinking a lot about our conversation from the beginning of the week. It feels rare at times to really think about what my gifts are that I bring to the table. The last year of my life has been quite busy and daunting as a PhD student and having moved to a new city, and going through various personal life transitions. And PhD students always have existential questions.

So when I consider what gifts I may bring and what hopes I have in what I hope to get out of this internship I am someone having to sit in my own thoughts for a bit.

Like I mentioned throughout some of our meetings, I am from Canada originally, and lived my entire life there. I often frequented the states, like many Onkwehonwe do, crossing the border asserting our rights and nationhood. However, I never lived here. Living in the U.S. now gives me such an expansive and different perspective of settler colonialism in North America. Being in the U.S. reminds me of the ways that colonial empire and imperialism operate differently in nation states.

What I am eager to learn about and be in conversation with and relation with is the other folks in the cohort and the people we will meet and the archives that we will work with in this project. I never knew how to put into words the ‘vibes’ I got from places like Boston and Philadelphia. They are quite old cities, with colonial architecture and a huge emphasis on their histories. All I think of sometimes are these old statues of white guys, related to moments in history that I couldn’t remember even if I needed to.

After some of the readings and conversations we have had this week, I am really looking forward to learning more about the Indigenous interventions on colonial history. Especially in a place like the U.S. comparative to Canada, Indigenous life feels so erased. It also depends on the context and the city. So I am eager to just learn and use this time to freely expand on my own thoughts and writing about Native American and Indigenous Studies methods, especially in the U.S. context.

In terms of what I bring to the group. As a PhD student, I think I can offer support and insight into different mentoring around graduate school. I’d be open to supporting others in the group with considerations for grad school. I also hope to bring to this group any of my experiences of research and collaboration. I am happy to share about what I have been able to work on as a grad student and any insights or tips.