Untying Knots: Native Land Rights and the Ongoing Fight for Justice

In 2020, during the height of COVID-19, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe was at the US Supreme Court fighting not just to survive a pandemic, but to hold onto their tribal land rights. This case, in addition to the landmark ruling of Sharp v. Murphy in July 2020, emphasizes the ongoing fight of Tribal nations for claims to parts — not even all — of their original and granted land. Yet, US political oppression against Native people is baked into the foundations of the United States, including colonization and removal of Native people from their ancestral homes, to make way for white settlerism and slavery. Over the last four hundred years these processes of control, removal, theft, and broken treaties have extended in every direction from Mississippi to Washington.

In this episode of Untying Knots, hosts Erica Licht (Senior Fellow at the IARA Project of Ash Center) and Nikhil Raghuveera (Nonresident Fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center) focus on Native land rights and sovereignty. Through interviews with key members of the Chickasaw Nation and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, we explore how two Tribes are fighting in the US legal system for their land and rightful recognition. Mari Halbutta and Talia Landry put into perspective recent litigation amidst a broader history of political oppression and violence. The cases reveal renewed attempts at erasure and termination of Native people, and in turn, unwavering Native organizing and resistance.

Notes:
Untying Knots, co-hosted by Nikhil Raghuveera and Erica Licht, explores how people and organizations are untying knots of systemic oppression and working towards a more equitable future. Each episode features special guests and a focus on thematic areas across society. 

This podcast is published by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at  Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center.

Thanks to Mari Halbutta, Talia Landry, and Eric Henson.

Learn More:
Chickasaw Nation: https://chickasaw.net/
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/

Music:
Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5025-beauty-flow
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
She Gives Me by Moby courtesy of mobygratis.com

About the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project

The Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project believes in working at the intersection of community, academia, and policy to address intellectual and practical questions as they relate to antiracism policy, practice, and institutional change. In order to create and sustain change, the goal of this project is to promote antiracism as a core value for organizations by critically evaluating structures and policies within institutions. The project aims to analytically examine the current field of antiracism with a lens on research and innovation, policy, dialogue, and community involvement.

Our vision is to be a leader in institutional antiracism research, policy, and advocacy, and propose structural change in institutions and media centered on antiracism work in the public, private, non-profit sectors and digital space. This work will focus on researching existing organizations that conduct antiracism training and development while analyzing their effectiveness and promoting best practices in the field. Additionally, we will study the implementation of antiracism work among institutions that self-identify as antiracist and promote accountability structures in order for them to achieve their goals.

About the Ash Center 

The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and Q&As with experts, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. 

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