Episode
Highlights
NO LONGER A RESERVATION
This isn’t a reservation anymore, but it was when the Brothertown settled here after leaving Central New York.
Native American dancers lead a procession at the Fond du Lac Convention Center in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin., during a multicultural event on Feb. 16, 2019. | Photo: Andréa Nunes
THE CALL TO BECOME A LAWYER
“By the time I was 10 years old, I knew that we needed to have more lawyers that were Brothertown Indians so they could help with this process.”
—JESSICA RYAN
STILL DOMINATED
“Settler-colonial domination for native nations has not ended. Tribes are still living under a structure of colonial domination today, in the 21st Century.”
—PROFESSOR KEHAULANI KAUANUI
FEDERAL RECOGNITION
One way the federal government can make amends for this treatment is by saying: yes, the Brothertown Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe.
A HOLE IN YOUR HEART
“When identity has been taken from you, and in a way that it was not intended and in a way that it was not understood, it leaves a tremendous hole in your heart and in your sense of self.“
—JESSICA RYAN
Jessica Ryan participates in a group dance at the Fond du Lac Convention Center | Photo: Andréa Nunes
Members of a Native American drum circle perform at the Fond du Lac Convention Center | Photo: Andréa Nunes
DOING THE BEST WITH WHAT WE HAVE
“We need to be able to take care of those relatives who’ve traveled on, and we need to be able to take care of them in a good way. And we do the best that we can with what we have available. But there are resources available to help us take care of those people. We would be able to qualify for different protections for this cemetery if we had that federal recognition status.”
—JESSICA RYAN