Thread by @KimTallBear

Last night someone tweeted at me that “no Black people are erasing Indigenous people.” I had tweeted that most Americans erase us. That person is not alone in their denial of non-Indigenous POC complicity in Indigenous erasure. This thread is addressed to that wider audience.

Within national structures built on white supremacy, Indigenous people and other non-Black POC can be complicit in anti-Black racism. Likewise, so can non-Indigenous POC, including Black people be complicit in Indigenous erasure, although its foundation is also white supremacy.

For those who do not understand that, following are some examples just off the top of my head. You can also do a search on “erasure” on my timeline and come up with many links/examples of our everyday erasure by diverse Americans.

Ex. #1: 4:45 of Paiute artist Gregg Deal’s film “The Last American Indian on Earth”: Diverse Americans objectifying, making Natives part of the past. Note past-tense language, susrprise at his contemporary presence, querying his purity. This is erasure. vimeo.com/164478711

At 7:45 of “The Last American Indian on Earth,” Gregg Deal discusses his performance art evocation of the American reactions documented in this film. I hear the same sad comments when people simply learn my name. Natives do not need to dress as a stereotype to be erased daily.

Example #2. At 11:00 mins in the Deal film, there is a clip from the famous Daily Show episode where a group of Natives go up against DC XSkins mascot supporters…again race diverse mascot supporters. Search #NotYourMascot if you need more on why mascots are erasure.

But those mascot supporters are not part of this vimeo clip of Deal’s film. Here is a link to news coverage of that episode. . I can’t watch in Canada the original full Daily Show episode, but you can Google it in the U.S.

Example #3, Joy Reid on AM Joy Jan 5 2019 dismissing the importance of Warren’s DNA mis-step, “Honestly not an important thing.” She had not a single Indigenous person on that panel. breitbart.com/clips/2019/01/… Sorry for Breitbart link…I can’t find the original video clip.

Reid attributes in that episode the entire Warren DNA problem to Trump. It was an issue in 2012 . Indigenous critics have been clear that this situation does not originate with Trump, and that Cherokee have called Warren to account since 2012. But Reid includes no Native voice.

I tweeted about this problematic episode. Other Indigenous people probably did too. Reid has recently done better in this episode where she had an actual Cherokee expert, @RebeccaNagle, speaking on Warren’s ancestry claims. mediaite.com/tv/cherokee-na…

Example #4, if you search “erasure” or #IndigenousErasure on my timeline, one link is broken...an incisive article by young Black/Saginaw Chippewa
scholar Kyle T. Mays about the esteemed Malcolm X & how he erased Indigenous people. Here is a new link. newsmaven.io/indiancountryt…

I will keep posting examples of Indigenous erasure on my timeline as I regularly do. Yes, most come from white people, but not all. I come across such examples every single day and in relation to every topic imaginable.

I know most of you don’t understand how pervasive Indigenous erasure is and the many forms it takes. I know you cannot necessarily read erasure without some interpretive assistance. When I tweet examples I will try to explain the erasure.

The person who tweeted at me said I will lose allies by speaking an “untruth” that most Americans [including non-Indigenous POC] erase Indigenous people. This person & others aren't in fact ally material if they flat out deny our voices re daily erasure by many diverse Americans.

Before you can stop erasing us you have to learn to recognize the actions that erase. So please pay attention to our voices when we call out erasure.

I will be off twitter much of the rest of the day. I have to finish copy edits for an American Studies journal article I have coming out soon, “American Dreaming is Indigenous Elimination.”

a couple of weeks later, adding this tweet..another example of #IndigenousErasure by a non-white thinker. i had tweeted this 18 mos. ago and someone liked it today, bringing it to my attention again. i didn't remember it. huffingtonpost.com/entry/you-will…