Hetero-patriarchy and Settler Colonialism | Ried Gustafson | TEDxPortlandStateUniversity
Summary
TLDRThe speaker, Reed Gustafson, honors indigenous peoples and addresses the ongoing impact of settler colonialism in the U.S. They discuss the imposition of heteronormative Christian monogamy on indigenous communities through federal policies like the Dawes Act, Indian Reorganization Act, and Indian Relocation Act, which aimed to assimilate and erase indigenous identities. Gustafson emphasizes the importance of indigenous critique and decolonial praxis, suggesting that moving beyond settler sex and family structures is crucial for indigenous resurgence and sustainable futures.
Takeaways
- 🌍 The speaker begins by acknowledging the indigenous peoples of the land they are on, recognizing the ongoing impact of settler colonialism on their lands and lives.
- 🏡 The script discusses how settler colonial assimilation targeted indigenous communities beyond just boarding schools, aiming to impose heteronormative Christian monogamy to change familial and gender norms.
- 👤 The speaker, Reed Gustafson, identifies as part of the Hueco tribe and Comanche tribe, and as a Swedish American, providing a personal context to the discussion.
- 📚 The talk is grounded in two-spirit scholarship, which sees a link between patriarchy and settler colonialism and its implications for indigenous critique and decolonial praxis.
- 🏛️ The critique focuses on three federal Indian policy acts: the Dawes Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, and the Indian Relocation Act, examining how they imposed heteropatriarchy on indigenous communities.
- 📉 The Dawes Act is highlighted as a means to redistribute indigenous land to male heads of households, leading to a gendered power shift favoring men and the imposition of heteronormative family structures.
- 🏙️ The Indian Reorganization Act is criticized for imposing Western-style, male-dominated governance structures on indigenous communities, altering traditional power-sharing practices.
- 🚶 The Indian Relocation Act is discussed as a policy that moved indigenous peoples to urban centers, forcing assimilation into Western capitalist society and heteronormative nuclear family structures.
- 💡 Indigenous Studies scholars argue that the imposition of heteropatriarchy was a tool for assimilation and erasure of indigenous peoples to complete the settler colonial project.
- 🌱 The talk concludes with a call to move beyond settler sexuality and family structures as a form of indigenous resurgence and a practice for sustainable futures.
- 🔍 Kim TallBear's work is highlighted, suggesting that rethinking relations and moving away from heteronormative monogamy can lead to more sustainable and community-focused ways of living.
Q & A
What is the significance of acknowledging indigenous peoples' ancestral homelands at the beginning of the talk?
-The acknowledgment serves to honor the indigenous people whose lands are currently being occupied, recognizing their ongoing presence and the historical and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism on their communities.
What is the main argument presented by Reed Gustafson in the script?
-Reed Gustafson argues that settler colonialism has imposed heteronormative Christian monogamy on indigenous communities as part of the assimilation process, which has affected sexual practices, familial structures, gender norms, and power dynamics within these communities.
What are the three federal Indian policy acts discussed in the script, and how do they relate to the imposition of heteropatriarchy?
-The three acts are the Dawes Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, and the Indian Relocation Act. They are discussed in relation to how they imposed heteropatriarchy on indigenous communities by altering land ownership, government structures, and living conditions to favor a Western, patriarchal model.
How did the Dawes Act impact indigenous land ownership and family structures?
-The Dawes Act divided communal indigenous land into individual private property plots given to native male heads of households, forcing a shift towards heteronormative nuclear family structures and granting men increased control over property and political rights as US citizens.
What was the purpose of the Indian Reorganization Act in terms of indigenous governance?
-The Indian Reorganization Act aimed to impose Western-style, male-dominated representational models of government on indigenous communities, creating tribal councils that mirrored American government structures and reinforced gendered power dynamics.
What were the consequences of the Indian Relocation Act for indigenous peoples?
-The Indian Relocation Act removed indigenous peoples from reservations and moved them into urban centers, assimilating them into Western capitalism and heteronormative nuclear family structures, while also subjecting them to gendered workforce dynamics that favored men.
How does the script connect heteropatriarchy to the broader goals of settler colonialism?
-The script suggests that the imposition of heteropatriarchy was a strategic part of the settler colonial project, aimed at assimilating indigenous peoples into Western culture and erasing their distinct identities and ways of life.
What role do indigenous studies scholars play in the analysis presented in the script?
-Indigenous studies scholars provide critical perspectives and frameworks for understanding the impact of settler colonial policies on indigenous communities, offering insights into the ways these policies have shaped sexual, familial, and power dynamics.
What is the concept of 'settler sex and family' as discussed in the script?
-'Settler sex and family' refers to the heteronormative, patriarchal sexual and familial norms and structures imposed by settler colonialism on indigenous communities as part of the assimilation process.
How does Kim TallBear's research challenge the notion of heteronormative monogamy in relation to resource use and sustainability?
-Kim TallBear's research suggests that heteronormative monogamy, as a basic relational building block in Western societies, contributes to unsustainable resource use and hoarding. She calls for a reevaluation of relations with the goal of promoting communal life and sustainability.
What are some of the guidelines provided by indigenous studies scholars for moving beyond settler sex and family as a resurgence practice?
-The guidelines include centering relationality in relations, ensuring power is shared reciprocally, using intimacy for healing rather than harm, and building and maintaining strong community bonds as part of a decolonial praxis.
Outlines
🙌 Acknowledging Indigenous Lands and Settler Colonialism
The speaker begins by honoring the indigenous peoples of the land they stand on, specifically naming the Multnomah, Clackamas, and other tribes along the Columbia River. They acknowledge the ongoing structure of settler colonialism in the United States, which continues to impact indigenous lands and peoples. The speaker introduces themselves, Reed Gustafson, with a personal connection to indigenous tribes and a Swedish American heritage. They set the stage for a discussion on how settler colonialism targeted indigenous intimate nature through assimilation processes, such as boarding schools and the imposition of heteronormative Christian monogamy, with the ultimate goal of assimilation and erasure of indigenous identities. The talk is grounded in two-spirit scholarship, which links patriarchy and settler colonialism, and critiques federal Indian policy acts like the Dawes Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, and the Indian Relocation Act for their role in imposing heteropatriarchy.
🏛 Impact of Federal Acts on Indigenous Communities
This paragraph delves into the specific impacts of the Dawes Act of 1887, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, and the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 on indigenous communities. The Dawes Act, also known as the Allotment Act, divided communal indigenous lands into individual plots for native male heads of households, leading to a land grab by settlers and a shift towards heteropatriarchy as these men gained control over property and US citizenship. The Indian Reorganization Act imposed western-style, male-dominated governance structures on indigenous communities, disrupting traditional gender balance and power-sharing practices. The Indian Relocation Act aimed to assimilate indigenous peoples into urban centers and Western capitalism by moving them off reservations, further reinforcing heteronormative family structures and gender roles. The speaker highlights the need for indigenous studies scholars to engage with discourses of sexuality in their critiques of colonialism and the importance of moving beyond settler sex and family structures as part of decolonial praxis.
🌱 Indigenous Resurgence and Moving Beyond Settler Sexuality
The final paragraph summarizes the discussion on the imposition of heteropatriarchy through federal acts and calls for indigenous resurgence practices that move beyond these imposed sexual and family norms. It emphasizes the importance of reevaluating relations to ensure they strengthen community, promote reciprocal power-sharing, and heal rather than harm. The speaker cites Kim TallBear, who challenges the sustainability of heteronormative monogamy and its impact on resource hoarding and objectification of human beings. TallBear offers guidelines for creating relations that support communal life and oppose the compulsory settler sexuality and family system. The speaker concludes by urging collective action against these systems and advocating for policies that support a more inclusive definition of family, ending with a call to oppose norms that marginalize indigenous and other non-normative relations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Indigenous People
💡Settler Colonialism
Highlights
Honoring indigenous people and acknowledging the ongoing structure of settler colonialism.
Introduction of Reed Gustafson, with tribal and Swedish American heritage.
Settler colonial assimilation targeted intimate natures of indigenous peoples beyond boarding schools.
Imposition of heteronormative Christian monogamy on indigenous communities to change familial structures and gender norms.
The critique grounded in two-spirit scholarship linking patriarchy and settler colonialism.
Analysis of the Dawes Act, its impact on land distribution, and the imposition of heteropatriarchy.
The Indian Reorganization Act imposed Western-style government models favoring male power.
The Indian Relocation Act aimed to assimilate indigenous peoples into urban centers and Western capitalism.
Consequences of the acts discussed through the lens of indigenous studies scholars.
Critique of the erasure of indigenous peoples as part of the settler colonial project.
Engagement with discourses of sexuality in critiques of colonialism as a call to action.
Theorizing monogamy's impact on resource hoarding and objectification in Western societies.
Guidelines for reevaluating relations to build strong communities and share power reciprocally.
Decolonization as a collective effort to oppose compulsory settler sexuality and family.
Advocating for policies supporting a more expansive definition of family.
Encouraging non-monogamous bonds and opposing norms as part of decolonial praxis.
Final thoughts on moving beyond settler sex and family for sustainable futures.
Transcripts
I'd like to begin by honoring the
indigenous people whose traditional and
ancestral homelands are where we stand
specifically the Multnomah the Clackamas
the tomb water the cats lament the while
alabanza the chinook in the to wallet in
california peoples and also the many
other indigenous nations along the
Columbia River I would also like to
acknowledge that settler colonialism in
the United States is not an event that
ended in the past but rather a structure
of violence that continues to reproduce
itself on the saft of indigenous lands
and on the erasure and genocide of
indigenous bodies and so for us living
on lands that we are not indigenous to
we do assist in maintaining and
upholding the structure of violence by
doing so that being said my name is Reed
Gustafson I hope everyone's doing good
tonight on my mother's side I'm enrolled
with the hueco tribe and a descendant of
the Comanche tribe and on my father's
side I'm Swedish American on my mother's
side we're of the corn and the Sun clans
and our Quaker homeland is located about
40 miles west of so-called Albuquerque
New Mexico and you can see our territory
in the photograph behind me today I
would like to discuss how settler
colonial assimilation processes targeted
the intimate nature's of indigenous
peoples beyond removing indigenous
children from their homes and cultures
and putting them in boarding schools in
order to program their minds settler
colonial assimilation processes look to
impose heteronormative Christian
monogamy on indigenous communities in
the hopes to change sexual practices
familial structures gender norms and
power dynamics within these communities
ultimately the goal though was to
assimilate indigenous peoples and erase
them in order to complete the settler
colonial project my work around this
topic is very much indebted to the work
of indigenous studies scholars and
indigenous writers I would like to thank
ho asta Mohana
Kim tall bear Chris Finley Coley
Driscoll Linda - ye Smith Leslie Marmon
Silko and polygon Allen for helping
shape my lens for analysis on this topic
today's talk will be grounded in
two-spirit scholarship which understands
an inextricable link between
patriarchy and settler colonialism and
also understands this link to be an
important site for indigenous critique
and decolonial praxis and so today's
talk will largely be a critique of three
important federal Indian policy acts the
Dawes Act the Indian Reorganization Act
and the Indian relocation act this
critique will look at how these act
serves to impose hetero patriarchy on
the communities affected and then the
end of this talk will be a look at how
we can think about moving beyond settler
sex and family as a resurgence practice
and also as a practice that has
implications for sustainable futures for
generations to come in 1887 the US
government passed the Dawes Act also
known as the allotment act this act sir
excuse me this Act gave the President of
the United States the powers to survey
indigenous land which at this time was
held in common once the land was
surveyed then it was divided into
individual private property plots and
these plots were distributed to native
male head of households at this time the
native male would also become US citizen
many scholars have written about how
this act served as the settler land grab
and this is because after the land was
distributed to the native males the
surplus land was then sold off the
settler populations and you can see an
advertisement for this in the photograph
behind me however not as many scholars
have written about how this act also
served to impose hetero patriarchy on
the communities that were affected by it
so for indigenous communities that
didn't necessarily practice
heteronormative nuclear family
structures they were coerced into
reordering themselves into families with
one man and one woman in order to keep
the land that they had been living on
and secondly there was a gendered power
shift towards hetero patriarchy because
of this act this was because as I said
the native male head of household would
now be in control of the newly
established property and also have
expanded political rights as US citizens
in 1934 the US government passed the
Indian Reorganization Act which served
to impose western-style representational
models of government on indigenous
communities
these newly established tribal councils
largely mirrored American government
where males were in positions of power
so for indigenous communities who spread
power horizontally between genders there
was a gendered power shift because these
newly tried newly established tribal
councils were largely staffed by males
and also native males were able to
internalize and benefit from this new
power and it benefits them to continue
to uphold this structure in 1956 the US
government passed the Indian relocation
Act which served to remove indigenous
peoples from reservation land and move
them into urban centers at this time the
US government was decreasing its funding
for populations living on reservations
while increasing its funding to actual
relocation funds and job training in
order to assimilate indigenous peoples
into Western capitalism at this time on
reservation land kinship structures were
largely still in place so removing
indigenous people from kinship and
moving them into urban centers where the
normative family structure was
heteronormative and nuclear operated to
assimilate indigenous peoples into this
way of being and furthermore there's
also a gendered power shift with this
act as well because indigenous peoples
were moving into the gendered workforce
of the 1950s where hiring practices
largely favored men in the workplace as
the breadwinners and women were
relegated to the home as homemakers and
so for indigenous communities that
didn't necessarily have these strict
divisions of labor and gender roles in
order for them to have any bit of
success within urban centers they had to
assimilate into this Western capitalist
kind of way of being now that I've
discussed the Indian Reorganization act
the Indian relocation Act and the Dawes
Act I'd like to turn to a discussion of
what Indigenous Studies scholars are
saying have been some of the
consequences and how indigenous study
scholars are looking at moving beyond
settler sex and family as a resurgence
practice indigenous studies scholar
Chris Finlay who was a member of the
Colville Confederated Tribes states in
her article decolonizing the queer
native
that we can use Michele Foucault is
theorization of sexuality as a site for
the enactment of state power to look at
the imposition of hetero patriarchy on
indigenous communities heavier hetero
patriarchy is a structure on communities
or society which favors and prioritizes
the male gender and also heterosexuality
and subjugates all other subject
positions and ways of being so for
indigenous communities that didn't
necessarily have this strict structure
in place it was necessary for the
government to impose that in order to
assimilate them into Western American
culture but the ultimate goal of this
was to erase indigenous peoples in order
to complete the settler colonial project
Kim tall bear also tells us that
indigenous sexualities were always
characterized as deviant or morally
transgressive by us colonizers and this
was kind of an important belief that
justified colonialism because if native
peoples were unable to govern themselves
in the most intimate ways and they were
unable to govern themselves at all and
so this kind of justified the entirety
of the settler colonial project Finlay
also tells us that up until recently
native scholars have largely remained
silent with engaging discourses of
sexuality when within their critiques of
colonialism and this is because sexual
violence has been used as a weapon
against native peoples for hundreds of
years and so in order to protect
ourselves we've gone quiet but Finley
calls on native study scholars to engage
discourses of sexuality in their
critiques of colonialism she asks us can
we truly decolonize ourselves without
taking colonial discourses of sexuality
seriously Kim tall bear who is enrolled
with the success Don Wahpeton oy8 and a
descendant of the Cheyenne and Arapaho
tribes of Oklahoma responds to tall
bears question in her article making
love and relations beyond settler sex
and family tall bear states that if we
truly consider everything in our life to
be interconnected then we must take
seriously the implications that monogamy
has on our desires to hoard resources
and our desires to objectify human
beings and that monogamy may be
caustic and detrimental to communal life
it's all bare theorizes that if
heteronormative monogamy is kind of the
basic relational building block within a
society then the idea is that you can
hoard another human and tall bear thinks
that this idea spreads into a vast
misuse of resources and hoarding of
resources Tod bears research looks at
Western societies that as a normative
practice use heteronormative monogamy
and these are the societies that are
using a vast amount of the world's
resources an unsustainable level so tall
bear asks us to rethink our relations
with specific goals in mind she asks us
to use specific guidelines and these
guidelines are to Center relationality
in our relations to ensure that power is
being shared reciprocally in our
relations by all members to use our
intimacy's to heal ourselves and others
rather than hurt and to make sure that
our relations operate to build and
maintain strong community
so in conclusion today I've briefly
discussed how the Dawes Act the Indian
Reorganization Act and the Indian
relocation act all served to impose
hetero patriarchy on indigenous
communities I hope that I brought to
light that settler colonialism is not
just the theft of indigenous land but it
also includes imposing very specific
sexual norms gender norms power dynamics
and family structures on indigenous
peoples in order to assimilate them
moving forward I think we can look at
moving beyond settler sexuality as an
indigenous resurgence practice or also a
practice for non-native peoples who are
concerned with sustainable futures I'd
like to recap the guidelines that tall
bear gives us for reevaluate our
relations tall bear asks us to ask
ourselves if our relations operate to
strengthen relation allottee if they
operate to build and maintain strong
community if we're healing with our
intimacy's rather than hurting and if we
are sharing power reciprocally in our
relations and if we're not tall bear
things that we should find new ways to
relate to each
so in conclusion I'd like to leave you
with a quote by Tom bear where she gives
us a couple of specific steps that we
can take moving forward if we're serious
about moving beyond settler sex and
family decolonization is not an
individual choice we must collectively
oppose the system of compulsory settler
sexuality and family that continues
building a nation upon indigenous
genocide and that marks indigenous and
other marginalized relations as deviant
this includes opposing norms and
supporting living within or supporting
those living within non-monogamous bonds
it includes advocating policies that
support a more expansive definition of
family and not rewarding normative
family structures with social and
financial benefits I want to thank
everyone for coming tonight and
especially my close friends who were
able to make it so thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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