Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation's Capital - Hardcover

by Elizabeth Rule (Author)

The first and fullest account of the suppressed history and continuing presence of Native Americans in Washington, DC

Washington, DC, is Indian land, but Indigenous peoples are often left out of the national narrative of the United States and erased in the capital city. To redress this myth of invisibility, Indigenous DC shines a light upon the oft-overlooked contributions of tribal leaders and politicians, artists and activists to the rich history of the District of Columbia, and their imprint--at times memorialized in physical representations, and at other times living on only through oral history--upon this place.

Inspired by author Elizabeth Rule's award-winning public history mobile app and decolonial mapping project Guide to Indigenous DC, this book brings together the original inhabitants who call the District their traditional territory, the diverse Indigenous diaspora who has made community here, and the land itself in a narrative arc that makes clear that all land is Native land. The acknowledgment that DC is an Indigenous space inserts the Indigenous perspective into the national narrative and opens the door for future possibilities of Indigenous empowerment and sovereignty.

This important book is a valuable and informational resource on both Washington, DC, regional history and Native American history.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Rule is assistant professor of critical race, gender, and culture studies at American University. She is the creator of the Guide to Indigenous Lands Project, which includes the Guide to Indigenous DC, a mobile application and digital map of Indigenous sites of importance in the nation's capital. She is a Chickasaw scholar-activist based in Washington, DC.