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Decolonizing Native American Studies

Linda Tuhiwai Smith is a Professor of Education and Maori Development and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Maori at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. Smith explains the word itself, “research” is linked to European colonialism and that indigenous peoples are very apprehensive and cautious based on these connections, going on to explain that the pursuit of knowledge, or research, is embedded deeply in multiple layers of European and Colonial processes. Colonial definitions and understandings of native peoples were reported to the West and then the West reported those representations were then sent back and attached to indigenous identity. In this way, research is very powerful. Indigenous researchers need to be afforded the opportunity to critique and fine tune these methodologies so that a more accurate representation of their group is assigned.

Periodization

Philip Deloria, professor of Native American History at Harvard University, a popularly accepted authority in the field, explores the historiography of Native America History by focusing in on some very important questions. Deloria acknowledges the abundance of work that exists in the canon, and also understands the lack of diversity amongst the authors. Through his examination of the system or organization and possible future inclusions and multiplicities of the field, Deloria leads the reader to the question of epistemology. He highlights the idea of difference insisting that historians must analyze the how non-native writers have viewed the Native Americans as different and how Natives have viewed those assessments. Another major focus of Deloria’s, is on periodization. He provides four broad historical periods in written Native American History. In analyzing the work from Frontiers History, Racial Science, Modernist History and Native Narrative, shifts in historical writing can be identified. He states that, “each suggests changes in social, political, and epistemological positions within non-Indian societies that have helped to produce new kinds of history writing”. All of Deloria’s research brings him to the conclusion that the most interesting new work in the field of Native American History can come from both Native and Non-Native writers, who have fully explored the work of the other side.

Deloria, Philip. "Historiography". In A Companion to Native American History, 1-24. Philip Deloria and Neal Salisbury, 1st ed. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc, 2002.