The View from the Shore JoDe Goudy is a former chairman of the Yakama Tribal Council and the founder and owner of Redthought, a Nativeled organization that seeks to educate and advocate around the legacy of the doctrine of Christian discovery. A Matter of Spirit editor Emily Sanna spoke to Goudy about movements for land justice and the enduring legacy of the doctrine of Christian discovery. What follows is a shortened version of their conversation. To read the full conversation visit the digital version: https://bit.ly/a-view-from-the-shore.
Photos: All Our Relations © Megan C Mac
W hen we talk about Indigenous sovereignty, what does that mean and what does that look like? You have to be careful with the words you utilize: Oftentimes words like Indigenous and sovereignty are accepted as positive. But I always tell people, “Don’t call me Indigenous” because of the etymology and the forums by which certain entities and organizations use the word. Most people are aware of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The UN defines the word Indigenous as a people whose land was taken by other people. It means a conquered person. Sovereignty is another unique word when you look at the etymology. For the most part, it is interpreted as a positive term. But when you attach the word to its political and legal history, sovereignty is actually a euphemism for or a different way of saying “dominated.” So, I’m not Indigenous and I’m not really sovereign. Steve Newcomb is a Shawnee-Lenape scholar who has been studying and writing about the ways a system of domination has manifested and sustained itself throughout time. He has always helped me remain extremely mindful of what type of words I utilize to communicate. Instead of Indigenous, he prefers the term Original Free Nations. This term reflects how our peoples collectively existed from 1491 going back in time to our creation. This perspective is quite different than the narrative that so-called “discovery” happened, all these visitors arrived, and then all of a sudden we’re in today’s time. It’s easy for people to attach themselves to expressions or words without delving deeper into what exactly they are saying. I just ask any of your readers to be mindful that if you use a word to identify someone, you should take it upon yourself to understand the meaning of the words you are using.
JoDe Goudy, Yakama Nation and Vice-Chair of Se’Si’Le
That’s a challenge for everybody. Most Native people, Original Free Nations, or Indigenous people—whatever name they go by—feel that being “Indigenous” is an honorable thing. If someone says they want to uphold their sovereignty, they say, “Well, that’s valid and I appreciate that.” But the work I do delves into the details and nuances with regard to how reality manifests through thoughts and language.
It’s both really challenging and important to recognize that this history of European colonization is so wrapped up in even the very well-meaning language we use to talk about land justice. This brings me to our next question, which is that you mentioned the doctrine of Christian discovery. Can you define what that is? The doctrine of Christian discovery can be dated back to 15thand 16th-century popes who issued specific papal bulls or edicts that were, I guess you could say, the holy marching orders to justify the so-called “discovery” that was happening throughout the world. These edicts included some very detrimental and terrible language regarding European people’s rights to invade, conquer, diminish, and subdue lands that were deemed “new” or, as they specifically list in the edicts, not ruled by any Christian prince. Even though our ancestors lived on the land, and various Native and Original Free Nations existed in every part of the A M AT T E R O F S P I R I T
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