A one-day event focused on the underlying narratives of settler colonialism in the United States such as Terra Nullius, Manifest Destiny, and Doctrine of Discovery: How did these narratives develop? How were they implemented? How do they continue to shape United States-Indigenous relations and the current experiences of Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples alike? We will also explore the history and legacy of settler colonialism in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. The day includes formal papers in the morning and community discussions in the afternoon.
(1791 map of Pennsylvania)
Guiding Questions, Key Terms, and Background Reading/Viewing More
Guiding questions
What are the underlying narratives of settler colonialism in the United States such as Terra Nullius, Manifest Destiny, and Doctrine of Discovery?
How did these narratives develop? How were they implemented?
How do they continue to shape United States-Indigenous relations and the current experiences of Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples alike?
What is the history and legacy of settler colonialism in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania?
Thomas King, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America (University of Minnesota Press, 2012)
Chelsea Vowel, Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada (Highwater Press, 2016), Part I: The Terminology of Relationships, 5-22.
Porter Hall and the Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion are accessible spaces. Accessible washrooms are located nearby. For more details about directions and accessibility, click here.
Thank you to the Center for the Arts in Society (CAS), the Department of History, the CMU University Lecture Series, and the Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion for their support of this event. Special thanks to Jim Duesing, Donna Harsh, Diana McLaughlin, Korryn D. Mozisek, Heather Pertz, M. Shernell Smith, Leanna Strawoet, Karen Weingartner, and Jesse Wilson.
As we gather today, we acknowledge that this land has been home to Indigenous peoples for centuries and millennia longer than we have known it as Pittsburgh. The Seneca call this place Jö:deogë, meaning “between two rivers.” The rivers we know as Allegheny and Monongahela come from the language of the Lenape: welhik hane and Mënaonkihëla, respectively. The organizers of this event acknowledge the Haudenosaunee who entered into treaty relationships with the British and then with the United States regarding this land in order to achieve peace and long-term prosperity. We acknowledge the Seneca, or Onödowa’ga, in particular, as the Keeper of the Western Door. We also acknowledge the Shawnee and Lenape peoples who were stewards of this land. We acknowledge that Pittsburgh continues to be home for Indigenous peoples of many nations, and we strive to live together in ethical kinship.
To quote Métis scholar Chris Andersen, it is up “to us—to all of us—to animate these words, this acknowledgment. To MAKE it sincere, to make it hopeful, to make it mean something.”
Location: Porter Hall 100, Carnegie Mellon University
Time: Doors open at 9:00am; opening remarks at 9:15am
Coffee, tea, water, and juice will be available all morning. Light snacks will be provided during the morning break.
Session 1 (9:15am-11:00am):
• Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz – “Settler Colonialism as Genocide”
-Dunbar-Ortiz’s lecture is co-sponsored by the University Lecture Series.
• Walter Hixson – “Past as Prologue: Settler Colonialism over the Longue Durée of American History”
Session 2 (11:15am-12:45pm)
• Alaina E. Roberts – “The Wages of Settler Colonialism within Indian Country: A Discussion about Tribal Disenrollment”
• Mishuana Goeman – “Beyond the Grammar of Settler Landscapes and Apologies”
Walter Hixson presents on settler colonial history
Mishauna Goeman presents on anti-colonial and land-based reciprocities in Los Angeles
In the afternoon, our CMU and Pittsburgh communities will gather informally to ask the four experts questions (see topics below), discuss ways in which the topic impacts our lives here in Pittsburgh, and brainstorm forms of community engagement.
Location: Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion, Lower Level, Cohon University Center, Carnegie Mellon University
Time: 2:30pm-4:30pm; space will be open starting at 2:15pm
Coffee, tea, water, and juice will be available. Light snacks will also be available.
These are some of the topics that the speakers look forward to discussing in small groups:
Haudenosaunee Art and Philosophies
Ethnic cleansing of Pennsylvania and Ohio
Anti-Black racism in Indian Country
Native resistance and survival
Native Feminist geographies
Native sports mascots and legacies of conquest
Black and Native interaction and antagonism
Land and sovereignty issues today
Free event: open to all CMU students, faculty, staff, and the general public
Stop by the Miller’s latest exhibit “An Atlas of Commoning.” Of particular interest may be Manual Herz’s Rights on Carpet, which includes a collection of carpets on which is inscribed the Geneva Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Status of Refugees, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
The Miller Gallery is open from 12pm-6pm today. Free and open to the public.
The Miller Gallery is located in the Purnell Center for the Arts. It is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible restroom on the first floor.
(Image from Wallace’s Indian Paths of Pennsylvania book published in 1965 by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission)
Please note: The Department of History is also hosting Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz on Friday, Sept 6 to discuss her latest book Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment. This lecture is co-sponsored by the University Lecture Series. All questions regarding that event should be directed to the Department of History.
