What makes Chicago an Indigenous place, past, present, and future?

Inquiry

• SS.9-12.IS.7. Construct arguments using precise and knowledgeable claims, with evidence from multiple sources while acknowledging counterclaims, perspectives, and biases.

Geography

• SS. 9-12.G.10. Analyze how historical events and the diffusion of ideas, technologies and cultural practices have influenced migration patterns and the distribution of the human population.

It’s time to show how much you’ve learned in this module! 

By now, you have learned about oral traditions, archaeology, and the reclaiming of Potawatomi lands in DeKalb County. You have also grown in your ability to interpret history by critically examining historical images for their accuracy and purpose. 

As a recap: Evidence from oral traditions and archaeologists tells us that Chicago’s lands and waters have been in relationship with Indigenous peoples since before human memory. Native nations here recognized their connections to these specific homelands and did not see these lands as exchangeable. Settlers wanted Indigenous lands. They created certain narratives to justify dispossessing Indigenous people and used these narratives to try to erase Indigenous presence. Indigenous people today are still a major part of the Chicago region. Native nations like the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation are actively reclaiming their connections to their homelands here. 

Now,

1. Our core question this module has been: What makes Chicago an Indigenous place, past, present, and future? We’ve investigated this question through Indigenous sources like oral histories and colonial sources like images and land records. Break the question down and review your notes from across the module as you prepare your response. 
2. Looking back to the stories you’ve learned from Indigenous Chicago, find specific examples that demonstrate Indigenous presence in the past and present, as well as ways you see Indigenous people preparing for their futures in Chicago. You might also address the methods and source materials we use to learn about Indigenous histories in the past, present, and future. 
3. Craft a thesis that shares your take on the question above. 
4. Using stories from Indigenous Chicago, build descriptions of the supporting evidence that illustrates your argument. 
5. Construct a conclusion that summarizes your evidence and argument. 

1.Return to the sources on the Chicago lakefront in the premodule and on the Prairie Band Potawatomi land restoration in SQ 3. Both of these are examples of lands that were unceded and where Native people are fighting to reclaim their access to these lands and waters. 

2. Examine this website of examples of #landback in North America. What trends do you notice across the examples on the site? How does this movement respond to 200 years of removal, dispossession, and land destruction?

3. Identify other trustworthy news sources for information about Indigenous land claims and #landback in the United States. A few examples are:

• Indian Country Today
• Indianz.com
• Native News Online
• Native America Calling

Do a keyword search for #landback on each of their sites (other searchable terms include land restoration, land reclamation, and rematriation). What can you find about #landback efforts in these sites?

4. Get involved! Draft a letter for your school paper or on social media about the relationship between treaties, unceded lands, and Indigenous land claims. Think about accessibility, audience, and your goals for how you might share this information.