X-Marks

Native Signatures of Assent

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies
Cover of the book X-Marks by Scott Richard Lyons, University of Minnesota Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Scott Richard Lyons ISBN: 9781452915296
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Publication: May 10, 2010
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press Language: English
Author: Scott Richard Lyons
ISBN: 9781452915296
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Publication: May 10, 2010
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press
Language: English
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, North American Indian leaders commonly signed treaties with the European powers and the American and Canadian governments with an X, signifying their presence and assent to the terms. These x-marks indicated coercion (because the treaties were made under unfair conditions), resistance (because they were often met with protest), and acquiescence (to both a European modernity and the end of a particular moment of Indian history and identity).
 
In X-Marks, Scott Richard Lyons explores the complexity of contemporary Indian identity and current debates among Indians about traditionalism, nationalism, and tribalism. Employing the x-mark as a metaphor for what he calls the “Indian assent to the new,” Lyons offers a valuable alternative to both imperialist concepts of assimilation and nativist notions of resistance, calling into question the binary oppositions produced during the age of imperialism and maintaining that indigeneity is something that people do, not what they are. Drawing on his personal experiences and family history on the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota, discourses embedded in Ojibwemowin (the Ojibwe language), and disagreements about Indian identity within Native American studies, Lyons contends that Indians should be able to choose nontraditional ways of living, thinking, and being without fear of being condemned as inauthentic.
 
Arguing for a greater recognition of the diversity of Native America, X-Marks analyzes ongoing controversies about Indian identity, addresses the issue of culture and its use and misuse by essentialists, and considers the implications of the idea of an Indian nation. At once intellectually rigorous and deeply personal, X-Marks holds that indigenous peoples can operate in modern times while simultaneously honoring and defending their communities, practices, and values.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, North American Indian leaders commonly signed treaties with the European powers and the American and Canadian governments with an X, signifying their presence and assent to the terms. These x-marks indicated coercion (because the treaties were made under unfair conditions), resistance (because they were often met with protest), and acquiescence (to both a European modernity and the end of a particular moment of Indian history and identity).
 
In X-Marks, Scott Richard Lyons explores the complexity of contemporary Indian identity and current debates among Indians about traditionalism, nationalism, and tribalism. Employing the x-mark as a metaphor for what he calls the “Indian assent to the new,” Lyons offers a valuable alternative to both imperialist concepts of assimilation and nativist notions of resistance, calling into question the binary oppositions produced during the age of imperialism and maintaining that indigeneity is something that people do, not what they are. Drawing on his personal experiences and family history on the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota, discourses embedded in Ojibwemowin (the Ojibwe language), and disagreements about Indian identity within Native American studies, Lyons contends that Indians should be able to choose nontraditional ways of living, thinking, and being without fear of being condemned as inauthentic.
 
Arguing for a greater recognition of the diversity of Native America, X-Marks analyzes ongoing controversies about Indian identity, addresses the issue of culture and its use and misuse by essentialists, and considers the implications of the idea of an Indian nation. At once intellectually rigorous and deeply personal, X-Marks holds that indigenous peoples can operate in modern times while simultaneously honoring and defending their communities, practices, and values.

More books from University of Minnesota Press

Cover of the book Deconstruction Machines by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Testing Fate by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Eating Fire by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Playing with Feelings by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Natural:Mind by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Murray Talks Music by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book A Measure of Success by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Film as Philosophy by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book ABC of Impossibility by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Science Fiction and Extro-Science Fiction by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Nuclear Desire by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book The Value of Homelessness by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book Marlene Dietrich by Scott Richard Lyons
Cover of the book White Birch, Red Hawthorn by Scott Richard Lyons
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy