Sarah Augustine

The Allotment Act

From “The Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery” by Sarah Augustine From invasion to occupation The final chapter in the repossession of Yakama lands occurred in 1887, when the Allotment Act was established as federal law. Popularly known as the Dawes Act, this federal policy remanded ownership of tribal

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Bad Indian

From “The Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery” by Sarah Augustine I am a Bad Indian. As in suspect. I’m not registered or enrolled, for one thing. This matters especially to the enrolled, as though Indigeneity must be blessed by the federal government before it counts. I am also

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Terra nullius

Suriname’s policy toward Indigenous Peoples did not originate in this small region. It is based on the principles defined by terra nullius, a Latin phrase meaning “empty land,” a theological and legal doctrine that gave land title to Christian European states who would assume sovereignty over “discovered lands.” Under terra nullius, “discovered” lands were considered

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