11/09/2025
Thank you for sharing your perspective, Jay. However, the viewpoints in your comment simplify complex historical truths and overlook the foundational beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of this land. Here is a response from a Native perspective.
On "Conquest" vs. "Theft"
Your argument that land was "conquered, not stolen" attempts to legitimize actions by framing them as a universal, inevitable part of history. From an Indigenous standpoint, this is a profound mischaracterization.
The relationship between European settlers (and later the U.S. government) and Native Nations was initially one of diplomacy between sovereign peoples. Hundreds of treaties were signed, recognizing Native nations as distinct political entities with inherent rights to their lands. These treaties were not documents of surrender; they were legally binding agreements. When the U.S. government systematically and repeatedly violated these treaties to seize land, resources, and life, it wasn't "conquest"—it was a series of illegal and immoral acts. It was theft.
To call it "conquest" is to accept the premise that might makes right. We do not. We see it as a violation of sacred agreements and a betrayal of trust that continues to have devastating consequences.
The Myth of a Conquered People
Perhaps the most critical point is that Native people have never been conquered. A conquest is final. It implies the complete subjugation or erasure of a people. That has not happened.
We are still here.
Today, there are 574 federally recognized sovereign Native nations within the United States, each with its own government, laws, culture, and land base. Our languages are being revitalized, our ceremonies are being practiced, and our people are fighting for the rights and sovereignty that were never legally surrendered. The survival and resilience of Indigenous peoples in the face of centuries of targeted genocide—through warfare, disease, forced assimilation in boarding schools, and destructive federal policies—is a testament to our strength. We were not conquered; we have survived a prolonged and ongoing attempt to eliminate us.
An Ancient Understanding of Unity
Your comment introduces Christianity as the ultimate resolution to worldly conflict. While we respect your faith, the idea that it holds a monopoly on concepts of unity or that it supersedes our own spirituality is a continuation of the colonial mindset.
The understanding that "we are all one" is an ancient and central principle in countless Indigenous spiritual traditions, existing for millennia before Christianity arrived on these shores. It is a philosophy born from observing the intricate connections of the natural world.
The Lakota have the prayer and concept of "Mitákuye Oyásʼiŋ," which means "all are related" or "we are all related." It is a profound acknowledgment that our existence is inextricably linked to every person, every animal, every plant, and every part of creation.
A widely attributed Hopi proverb states, "We are the ones we have been waiting for." This speaks to an internal, collective responsibility to heal the world, rather than waiting for an external savior.
A proverb from the Omaha people says, "No man is an island. We are all connected."
These beliefs are not abstract ideas; they are the foundation of our laws, our cultures, and our relationship with the land you stand on. The idea of universal kinship did not arrive with a boat; it was already here, woven into the fabric of this continent. To truly understand this land, one must first understand the worldview of its original peoples—a worldview of profound interconnectedness and respect for all life. -NATIVETINN
