How do shifting political boundaries impact human relationships with lands, waters, and each other?

Civics

• SS.9-12.CV.1. Distinguish between the rights, roles, powers and responsibilities of individuals and institutions in the political system and analyze the marginalization of multiple groups and perspectives in that system.

Geography

• SS.9-12.G.4. Analyze data and trends at various scales to address inequalities in race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual identity, ability status, and socioeconomic groups across time and space.

History

• SS.9-12.H.1. Evaluate the context of time and place as well as structural factors that influence historical developments.
• SS.9-12.H.3. Evaluate the methods used to promote change and the effects and outcomes of these methods on diverse groups of people.
• SS.9-12.H.10. Identify and analyze ways in which marginalized communities are represented in historical sources and seek out sources created by historically oppressed peoples. 
• SS.9-12.H.11. Analyze primary and secondary historical sources from multiple vantage points and perspectives to identify and explain dominant narratives and counternarratives of historical events. 
• SS.9-12.H.13. Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

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

By now, you have learned about Indigenous and settler approaches to land use, examined treaty making, and evaluated the impact of treaties on people and the environment in the Chicago area. You have also grown in your ability to interpret history through maps, government documents, documentaries, and travel journals. 

As a recap: 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. Settler legal systems saw land as a sellable resource with financial value. These different perspectives shaped treaty negotiations between Indigenous people and settlers. After the treaties, the political landscape changed. For the first time, settlers had more power in the region. They began to make changes to the landscape like draining marshes and rerouting the river. This forever changed life here for people, plants, animals, birds, fish, and insects. 

Now,

1. Our core question this module has been: How do shifting political boundaries impact human relationships with lands, waters, and each other? We’ve investigated this question through three phrases: how Indigenous people and settlers viewed land before the treaties, how these perspectives shaped treaty-making, and the political and ecological aftermath of treaties in the Chicago region. Break the question down and review your notes from across the module. 

2. Looking back to the stories you’ve learned from Indigenous Chicago, find specific examples that answer the question.  These might be specific impacts from the treaties for people or lands. 

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. To extend your argument, you can look into what Indigenous people are doing today to restore or build their relationships with the lands and waters of the region. You can use these stories to think about possible futures that repair and move beyond these histories of dispossession and destruction. You might look into:

• • Northwestern University construction of an Ojibwe canoe
  • SANTIAGO X’s effigy mounds in Schiller Woods and Horner Park
  • Trickster Cultural Center’s Indigenous gardens
  • The restoration of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s lands in DeKalb County, Illinois

As you learn about these initiatives, ask: What kinds of futures for people and lands could these land restoration efforts make possible?

6. Construct a conclusion that summarizes your evidence and argument. 

There are many ways to keep updated on Indigenous land restoration efforts. 

1. Follow Native events in the news or social media. You can set a Google alert, follow Indigenous journalists, or listen to Native created-media. A few examples are:

2. As you learn about contemporary land restoration efforts, think about how these movements respond to 200 years of removal, dispossession, and land destruction.

3. Get involved! Write an opinion piece in your school paper or on social media about the importance of land restoration efforts. Think about accessibility, audience, and your goals for how you might share this information.