(Illustration by C R Sasikumar)To say that Native American politician Debra Anne Haaland’s appointment as Secretary of the Interior of the US would be historic is an understatement. Fortunately, terms such as Native or Native American, indigenous communities, Native Nation or First Nations People now enjoy wide acceptance as synonyms. In the colonial period in North America, the British entered into treaties with Native American nations as they did with foreign countries. She was one of the two Native American women elected to the Congress for the first time in US history. Perhaps a Native American Secretary of the Interior will bring America a step closer to recognising its settler colonial past and present.

Source: Indian Express December 27, 2020 23:03 UTC