We begin by acknowledging that while we are all dispersed in our various homes, cities and countries, SVA, the institution hosting our studies, sits on land historically stewarded by the Lenape people for thousands of years. New York City is still home to over 115,000 intertribal people who work and create culture on the island of Manhattan and beyond.
Decolonization for indigenous people and communities is not a metaphor or an abstraction. It is about reclaiming sovereignty against an oppressive government that negotiated in bad faith and has continued to break treaties that might otherwise have enabled tribal nations and native communities to build equity for communities across this land.
