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Doctrine of Discovery and Its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples

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Doctrine of Discovery and Its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples The Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY? The Discovery Doctrine is a construct of public international law expounded by the United States Supreme Court in a series of decisions, initially in Johnson v. M’Intosh in 1823. It is based on a series of 15th century Papal Bulls that gave Christian explorers the right to claim title to the lands they “discovered” and lay claim to those lands for their Christian Monarchs. Any land that was not inhabited by Christians was available to be “discovered”, claimed, and exploited. If the “pagan” inhabitants could be converted, they might be spared. If not, they could be enslaved or killed. “By this directive, by fiat, the European nations claimed for themselves the entire Western Hemisphere. It is a demonstration of the incredible arrogance of the time. This has resulted in the subjugation, genocide, relegating indigenous peoples to a subhuman status in international politics. Indigenous peoples have been laboring and suffering under that status right up until the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indig- enous Peoples was established in 2007, which for the first time recognized Indigenous peoples as ‘peoples’. Up until recently, we were politically denied human rights.” - Onondaga Nation Faithkeeper Oren Lyons THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY IS STILL USED TO DENY INDIGENOUS LAND RIGHTS “Under the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ ... fee title to the lands occupied by Indians when the colonists arrived became vested in the sovereign — first the discovering European nation and later the original states and the United States” - Footnote #1, City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York 125 S. Ct. 1478, 148384 (2005) This decision resulted in the subsequent dismissal of the Cayuga and Oneida land claims and the Onondaga Nation’s Land Rights Action. A GROWING MOVEMENT TO REPUDIATE THE DOC- TRINE OF DISCOVERY JanuaryJanuary 201220012 MayMay 1, 20122012 TheThThe UnitarianUnUnititara iaian UniversalistUnUniviverrsasaliist AAssemblysss emmblbly TheThT e UnitedUnited MMethodistethodist CChurchhu July 200909 FebruaryFebrb uary 17,17, 20122010 2 JulyJuJ lyy 26,26,6 2012 U.S. Episcopaliscopal CChurchhuh rcr h TheThThe WorldWoW rld CouncilCoCouuncicil ofof ChurchesChuh rches TheTThe NewNNew York YearlyYea Meeting of thetthe ReligiousReR liligigiouo s SocietySoci of Friends (Quakers)(QQuau kek rs) More informationnformation onon thethe DoctrineDoctrine ofof DiscoveryDiscovery cann bebe foundfound atat doctrineofdiscovery.orgdoctrineofdiscovery.org Onondaga Nationn CommunicationCoCommm unici atioon OfficeOfO fice 315.492.1922315.44929 .1922 • www.onondaganation.orgwwwww.w.onononondadagaganan tion.org Page 1 of 4 The Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples This op-ed from Onondaga Nation Faithkeeper Oren Lyons originally appeared in the Albany Times Union on Sunday, August 9, 2009, p. B1 and B3 Onondaga Nation Communication Offi ce 315.492.1922 • www.onondaganation.org Page 2 of 4 The Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples found in numerous historical documents such as Papal Bulls, Royal Charters and court rulings. For example, the church docu- ments Dum Diversas (1452) and Romanus Pontifex (1455) called for non-Christian peoples to be invaded, captured, vanquished, subdued, reduced to perpetual slavery and to have their posses- sions and property seized by Christian monarchs. Collectively, Document date: 17.02.2012 these and other concepts form a paradigm or pattern of domina- tion that is still being used against Indigenous Peoples. 4. Following the above patterns of thought and behaviour, STATEMENT Christopher Columbus was instructed, for example, to “discover ON THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY and conquer,” “subdue” and “acquire” distant lands, and in 1493 Pope Alexander VI called for non-Christian “barbarous AND ITS ENDURING IMPACT nations” to be subjugated and proselytized for the “propaga- tion of the Christian empire.” Three years later, England’s King ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Henry VII followed the pattern of domination by instructing John Cabot and his sons to locate, subdue and take possession WCC Executive Committee of the “islands, countries, regions, of the heathens and infidels . unknown to Christian people.” Thereafter, for example, 14-17 February 2012 English, Portuguese and Spanish colonization in Australia, the Bossey, Switzerland Americas and New Zealand proceeded under the Doctrine of Discovery as Europeans attempted to conquer and convert Indig- enous Peoples. In 1513, Spain drafted a legal document that was required to be read to Indigenous Peoples before “just war” could 1. Indigenous Peoples have the oldest living cultures in commence. The Requerimiento informed Indigenous Peoples the world. Three hundred to five hundred million Indigenous that their lands had been donated to Spain and that they had to Peoples today live in over 72 countries around the world, and submit to the Crown and Christianity or they would be attacked they comprise at least 5,000 distinct peoples. The ways of life, and enslaved. identities, well-being and very existence of Indigenous People are threatened by the continuing effects of colonization and national 5. In 1823, the U.S. Supreme Court used the same pattern policies, regulations and laws that attempt to force them to as- and paradigm of domination to claim in the ruling Johnson similate into the cultures of majoritarian societies. A fundamen- & Graham’s Lessee v. M’Intosh that the United States as the tal historical basis and legal precedent for these policies and laws successor to various “potentates” had the “ultimate dominion” is the “Doctrine of Discovery”, the idea that Christians enjoy a or “ultimate title” (right of territorial domination) over all lands moral and legal right based solely on their religious identity to within the claimed boundaries of the United States. The Court invade and seize indigenous lands and to dominate Indigenous said that as a result of the documents mentioned above, autho- Peoples. rizing “Christian people” to “discover” and possess the lands of “heathens,” the Indians were left with a mere “right of occupan- 2. Around the world, Indigenous Peoples are over-represented cy;” an occupancy that, according to the Court was subject to the in all categories off disadvantagedisadvantage.. In most indigenous communi- “ultimate“uultimate title”title” or “absolute“absolute title”title” ofof thethe UnitedUnited States.S The John- ties people live in povertypoverty without clean water anandd nenecessaryceessssarary sonson casecac se hashasas beenbeee n citedcited repeaterepeatedlydly by Australian, Canadian, New infrastructure, lackingking adequateadequate health care, education,educucatatioion, employ-empmplol y-y ZealandZeZ alannd andannd UnitedUnnititedd StatesStates courts, anandd the DoctrineDoctr of Discovery ment and housing.g. Many indigenousindigenous communitiescommmununities stillstilll suffersuufff erer hashaas beenbebeenen heldheleld byy allall thesethehesese countries to have grantedgrant European the effects of dispossession,ossession, forcedforced removalsremmovovaals fromfrf omm homelandshommelelanndss settlerseettttller societiessosoccietiees plenarypllenenarry powerpowewer (domination)(domination) overover Indigenous and families, inter-generationalr-generational ttraumaraaumuma andaand racism,raraciismsm, thethhe effectsefe feectc s ofof Peoples,PePeopo les, legallegala titletitlee toto theirthheieir lands,lal ndds,s andand has resultedresulted in diminished which are manifestedted in social wwelfareellfafarer iissuesssssueu s sussuchchh asas alcohol andannd sovereign,sooveverer ign, commercialcommeerrcial andanand internationalininteernrnatatioional rightsrights fforo Indigenous drug problems, violenceolence andand socialsosociciala breakdown.brereakakdod wnn. BasicBaBasisic health out-outut- PeoplesPeoples andana d governments.governmementn s. EuropeansEururopopeaeansns believedbelieved thisth was proper comes dramatize thehe disparitydisparritity inn well-beingwelll-l-beinng betweenbetweeen IndigenousInIndigeenonousus basedbbased onn theirtheh irir ethnocentric,ethnocenttriric, racialracciial andanand religiousrreligious attitudes that Peoples and Europeanpean descendants.desesceendn ana tts. theytthey andandd theirtheheirir cultures,culultutures, religionsreliggioonsn andandnd governmentsgovo eernmen were superior toto non-Christiannonn-CChrh isistitiann EuropeanEurropean peoples.peoppleless. 3. The patternsns off ddominationomominination anaandnd oppressionopopprp esesssion that continuecoontininueue 6.6 Consequently,Conseeququene tltly,y thethhe currentcurrentt situationsitituauatitionon ofof IndigenousInd to afflict Indigenousus PeoplesPPeopplees todaytotodad y throughoutthhrorougughohoutu the worldworld are PeoplesPePeopples aroundarouundnd the worldworld is the resultresultt ofof a linearlilinen ar programme of Onondaga Nationn CommunicationCoC mmmmunnicicata ioon OfficeOfO fice 315.492.1922315.449292.1922 • www.onondaganation.orgwww w.w onnonondadagag nan tion.org Page 3 of 4 The Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples “legal”precedent, originating with the Doctrine of Discovery and In this context, the executive committee of the World Council of codified in contemporary national laws and policies. The Doc- Churches, meeting at Bossey, Switzerland, 14-17 February 2012, trine mandated Christian European countries to attack, enslave and kill the Indigenous Peoples
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