A new book by the Newberry’s Rose Miron takes readers into the heart of debates over who owns and has the right to tell Native American history and stories. For centuries, non-Native collectors and institutions have gathered Indigenous objects and archival materials, and Indigenous nations have had little to no control over how these materials are presented and accessed. Indigenous Archival Activism, published in April 2024 by University of Minnesota Press, tells the story of one tribe's efforts to recover their scattered historical materials and rewrite their history. Focusing on the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation and their Historical Committee—a group composed of mostly women that has been leading this work since 1968—the book is the first monograph focusing exclusively on tribal archives.
Rose, the Director of the D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry, wrote the book following a more than decade-long reciprocal relationship with the Stockbridge–Munsee Mohican Nation. Her research and writing are shaped primarily by materials found in the tribal archive and ongoing conversations and input from the tribe's Historical Committee, whose members wrote the Foreword. Reflecting on this collaborative process, the book offers a model both for tribes undertaking their own reclamation projects and for scholars and non-Native institutions looking to work with tribes in ethical ways.
Says Rose, “It was an honor to partner with the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation to tell this story. I hope the book emphasizes the importance of community engagement and shared authority with Indigenous nations, across both academia and the public humanities.”