Native American Nationalism and Nation Re-building

Description

Bringing together perspectives from a variety of disciplines, this book provides an interdisciplinary approach to the emerging discussion on Indigenous nationhood. The contributors argue for the centrality of nationhood and nation building in molding and, concurrently, blending the political, social, economic, and cultural strategies toward Native American self-definitions and self-determination. Included among the common themes is the significance of space—conceived both as traditional territory and colonial reservation—in the current construction of Native national identity. Whether related to historical memory and the narrativization of peoplehood, the temporality of indigenous claims to sovereignty, or the demarcation of successful financial assets as cultural and social emblems of indigenous space, territory constitutes an inalienable and necessary element connecting Native American peoplehood and nationhood. The creation and maintenance of Native American national identity have also overcome structural territorial impediments and may benefit from the inclusivity of citizenship rather than the exclusivity of ethnicity. In all cases, the political effectiveness of nationhood in promoting and sustaining sovereignty presupposes Native full participation in and control over economic development, the formation of historical narrative and memory, the definition of legality, and governance.
Foreword
Larry Nesper and Brian Hosmer

Acknowledgments
Introduction:
Nationalism and Nation Re-building in Native North America
Simone Poliandri

1. Building on Native Sovereignty: From Ethnic Membership to National Citizenship
Sebastian Felix Braun

2. The Antics of Anticipation in an Odyssey of Self-Rule
Jackie Grey

3. The Mi’kmaw Path to First Nationhood: A Roadmap, Some Strategies, and a Few Effective Shortcuts
Simone Poliandri

4. The Boundaries of Indigenous Nationalism: Space, Memory, and Narrative in Hualapai Political Discourse
Jeffrey P. Shepherd

5. Courting the Nation: Articulating Potawatomi Nationhood at the Indian Claims Commission
Christopher Wetzel

Conclusion: The Push for Change Continues
Wanda Wuttunee

Contributors
Index

Sujets

• Indigenous peoples
• Nationalism
• History of the Americas

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 mai 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438460703
• Langue: English

Extrait

NATIVE AMERICAN NATIONALISM AND NATION RE-BUILDING
SUNY series, Tribal Worlds: Critical Studies in American Indian Nation Building

Brian Hosmer and Larry Nesper, editors
NATIVE AMERICAN NATIONALISM AND NATION RE-BUILDING
PAST AND PRESENT CASES
EDITED BY
Simone Poliandri
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2016 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Jenn Bennett
Marketing, Fran Keneston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Native American nationalism and nation re-building : past and present cases / edited by Simone Poliandri.
pages cm. — (SUNY series, tribal worlds: critical studies in American Indian nation building)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-6069-7 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-6070-3 (e-book)
1. Indians of North America—Government relations. 2. Indians of North America—Land tenure. 3. Indians of North America—Politics and government. 4. Indians of North America—Ethnic identity. 5. Nationalism—North America—Case studies. 6. Nation-building—North America—Case studies. I. Poliandri, Simone, editor.
E93.N284 2016 323.1197—dc23 2015022256
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Foreword
Larry Nesper and Brian Hosmer
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Nationalism and Nation Re -building in Native North America
Simone Poliandri
1. Building on Native Sovereignty: From Ethnic Membership to National Citizenship
Sebastian Felix Braun
2. The Antics of Anticipation in an Odyssey of Self-Rule
Jackie Grey
3. The Mi’kmaw Path to First Nationhood: A Roadmap, Some Strategies, and a Few Effective Shortcuts
Simone Poliandri
4. The Boundaries of Indigenous Nationalism: Space, Memory, and Narrative in Hualapai Political Discourse
Jeffrey P. Shepherd
5. Courting the Nation: Articulating Potawatomi Nationhood at the Indian Claims Commission
Christopher Wetzel
Conclusion: The Push for Change Continues
Wanda Wuttunee
Contributors
Index
Illustrations Figure 3.1 Indian Brook (now Sipekne’katik) First Nation’s band council former official letterhead. Figure 3.2 Eskasoni First Nation’s sign at the northern entrance of the reserve along Shore Road (Route 216) on Cape Breton Island, NS. Figure 3.3 Until very recently, this street sign was located on Willow Street, one of the main arteries of Truro, at the intersection with the McClure’s Mills Connector Road, which provides access to and from Provincial Highway 102. Figure 4.1 “Original Yuman Territories” from Spirit Mountain: An Anthology of Yuman Story and Song ©1984 The Arizona Board of Regents. Figure 5.1 Potawatomi Indian Claims Commission Dockets. This table provides a synopsis of the various treaties and lands for which parts of the Potawatomi Nation filed claims.
Foreword
Larry Nesper and Brian Hosmer
Series Editors
Tribal Worlds: Critical Studies in American Indian Nation Building
We are delighted to share this latest contribution to the SUNY series Tribal Worlds: Critical Studies in American Indian Nation Building . Over the past several years, we have had the opportunity to share several pathbreaking studies exploring historic roots and contemporary expressions of Indigenous self-determination, sovereignty, and nation building. From the outset, our goal was straightforward—and challenging. From its inception, we envisioned a series showcasing emerging research on how Indigenous peoples have forged and are forging modern communities amidst national and international pressures and the ongoing effects of settler colonialism. We have sought studies that blend ethnography with archival research and that situate current expressions of tribal governance and reservation political economy within comparative and historical contexts.
Native American Nationalism and Nation Re-building, edited by Simone Poliandri, extends this conversation. Through a series of interlocked case studies produced by anthropologists and historians, this volume offers additional insights into processes of indigenous nation building. The studies assembled by Poliandri tell us a great deal about how tribal communities are constructing nationhoods through the development of institutions in the present by drawing upon historical frameworks. More than simply resuscitating older national identities or building novel structures, these cases remind us that enacting indigenous sovereignties are creative acts, pursued and conducted within particular historical and cultural frameworks. This is the essence of rebuilding, a phenomenon we understand as fundamental to encountering and overcoming the conditions of settler colonialism in the United States and Canada.
Decades ago, Vine Deloria Jr. challenged Indigenous academics to resist the obvious attractions of the ivory tower to apply their talents to meeting the great challenges, on the ground and in the field. We think Poliandri’s volume is a step in the direction of embracing that charge in that the essays detail the ways in which aspirations are and have been operationalized. As such, they suggest models for practical action in analogous contexts.
Acknowledgments
Many people contributed to make this book a finished product and deserve recognition. To begin, I am deeply grateful to Brian Hosmer and Larry Nesper, the co-editors of SUNY’s Tribal Worlds series, for encouraging and full-heartedly supporting my efforts in putting this volume together. Since the inception of this project in the context of one Native American/Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) meeting a few years ago, Brian and Larry have been instrumental in offering both invaluable suggestions on the broad intellectual architecture of the volume and careful advice all the way down to the small details of style. A labor of love, indeed.
I wish to extend my gratitude to NAISA for providing the intellectual and collegial context within which this project took shape and developed, as well as the many participants in its annual meetings since 2009 who have offered direct comments to early versions of some of the essays during panels or engaged me and the other authors in fruitful, multi-topic discussions that eventually found their way into this volume. I also acknowledge and thank indirectly the tribal nations that hosted each of those NAISA meetings.
I am grateful to the authors contributing to this volume for accepting this challenge with enthusiasm, producing outstanding essays, and displaying remarkable patience while waiting for this volume to take shape and proceed through the many editorial stages. I also thank them for the many intellectual exchanges we have had over the course of a few years while working on this volume. I have developed friendships that I cherish.
I extend my deepest gratitude to the anonymous reviewers, whose suggestions and critiques resulted in making this a stronger and better collection than what we started with, as well as the copyeditor and the indexer for their thorough work.
I extend my gratitude to Amanda Lanne-Camilli, acquisitions editor at SUNY Press, for her kind assistance. I commend Amanda, particularly, for addressing one potentially disrupting editorial “situation” with remarkable promptness, efficiency, and professionalism, reducing the issue to a mere bump in the road. I also wish to acknowledge the project editor, Jenn Bennett; the editorial assistant, Jessica Kirschner; the marketing director, Fran Keneston; and the production personnel for their dedication and outstanding work.
As far as my individual contribution to this volume goes, I wish to thank the many Mi’kmaw people who offered their help, ideas, support, and friendship since the onset of the research process that informs my essay. I cannot list you all for lack of sufficient space and confidentiality purposes, but you know who you are. Wela’lioq! (Thank you!)
I wish to thank Framingham State University for supporting my travelling to NAISA conferences between 2010 and 2014, and the Center for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship at Bridgewater State University, my current academic home, for a course release and a small grant that allowed me to finalize the manuscript.
Finally, I offer my gratitude and immense love to my wife Meredith and my wonderful daughter Olivia, who have offered unconditional support throughout the process. They have certainly built a sizable time credit that is overdue for settling.
Despite the help we have received, the authors and I are responsible for the content of this book. As the volume editor, responsibility falls ultimately on my shoulders, and I apologize for any inaccuracies this book may contain.
Introduction
Nationalism and Nation Re-building in Native North America
Simone Poliandri
Nationhood and nationalism have recently emerged as some of the leading expressions of tribal belonging and community self-determination among Native North American peoples. 1 They have become increasingly connected with issues of political and economic