TURTLE ISLAND

CRITICAL REMINDERS FOR INDIGENOUS RESEARCH

consider the following eight concepts when approaching this kind of research: sovereignty, land, Indigeneity, nation, blood, tradition, settler colonialism, and Indigenous knowledge

use nationhood and citizen of (insert Native Nation) when identifying Native people and places. (ex. Jenna Wolf is a citizen of Muscogee Nation, Oklahoma, bear clan; Jordan Clark is a member of the Wompanoag Tribe of Aquinnah)

use Native American and Indigenous in all places in lieu of American Indian; though primary sources will use identifiers like American Indian and Indian--do not use these in your own essays, papers, and presentations unless quoting the source directly; foundational terms within Native studies always have multiple and conflicting meanings--these terms often carry the colonial baggage that has accrued over centuries.

REMEMBER: Indigenous peoples live across the globe. It's important to be as specific as possible when doing this research. For example, looking at Indigenous peoples of the Americas will explore the peoples of North and South America, which includes South and Latin American countries, as well as Canada.