# Martha's Vineyard's Indigenous Past & Present  ## Episode metadata - Episode title: Martha's Vineyard's Indigenous Past & Present - Show: Fresh Air - Owner / Host: NPR - Guests: [Joseph Lee](https://share.snipd.com/person/182933df-801e-439f-a5ed-d5beab14a58c) - Episode publish date: 2025-07-21 - Episode AI description: Joseph Lee, an Aquinnah Wampanoag writer and author, sheds light on the indigenous narratives overshadowed by Martha's Vineyard's celebrity appeal. He discusses the complexities of identity and land sovereignty faced by Indigenous communities, highlighting the emotional toll of seeking federal recognition. Lee also shares insights on revitalizing the Wampanoag language and the significance of storytelling in preserving cultural heritage. Through his unique perspective, listeners gain a deeper understanding of indigenous struggles and resilience. - Mentioned books: [Nothing More of This Land](https://share.snipd.com/book/fabc67f5-287b-4dfe-9dc9-e8d48202d4f8) by [Joseph Lee](https://share.snipd.com/person/182933df-801e-439f-a5ed-d5beab14a58c), [There There](https://share.snipd.com/book/bebc1065-981a-4bc0-a6a9-35d417b0ac5d) by [Julia Osuna Aguilar](https://share.snipd.com/person/0c7f00c8-eef3-45b1-a458-134d08ec4bc0), [Tommy Orange](https://share.snipd.com/person/268ee111-0000-44c2-99cf-1ee4f0c1458f) - Duration: 44:35 - Episode URL: [Open in Snipd](https://share.snipd.com/episode/06a1a0b1-e3e3-4427-a42a-9f72c65b9cbb) - Show URL: [Open in Snipd](https://share.snipd.com/show/74968254-1b39-42d5-89fb-0ba0e44cf3a3) - Export date: 2026-02-17T23:20:52 ## Snips ### [Martha's Vineyard Diverse Life](https://share.snipd.com/snip/66123d9e-dd51-4c6c-98f3-2cb987ea0c74) 🎧 02:11 - 04:08 (01:56) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/761262b6-dc36-4f3a-881f-55872a96688c" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Martha's Vineyard hosts various social groups including tribal members, fishermen, and tourists, each living distinct experiences on the island. - Joseph Lee describes the seasonal tourist influx that shapes local businesses like his family's gift shop significantly during summers. #### 💬 Quote > The island is divided into up-island and down-island, each with three towns. ... The summer is structured around tourism. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee describing the complexity and diversity of Martha's Vineyard. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** The thing about Martha's Vineyard is that it's more complicated than people think. There's a Martha's Vineyard where politicians and wealthy Democratic donors have private parties with catering and security guards. There's a Martha's Vineyard that is filled with vineyard vines polos, private beaches, and sailboats. There's another for families who come over for the day to buy ice cream and keychains. There are those who own a summer house, those who rent one, and those who might stay at a hotel or the youth hostel. It's been home to fishermen, hippies, tribal members, Brazilian immigrants, working families, and so much more. It may also be that people simply don't realize how big Martha's Vineyard is. Unlike Nantucket, which is smaller and only has one town, Martha's Vineyard has six distinct towns, each with its own characteristics and town governments. The island is divided into up-island and down-island, each with three towns. The terminology comes from longitude, with the Up Island towns, Aquinnah, Chilmark, and West Tisbury, on the western side of the island with its higher longitudinal coordinates. The three Down Island towns are Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, and Angertown. Up Island is much more rural, and while the Up Island towns do have smatterings of stores and businesses, we go down island to get groceries, pick visitors up from the airport or ferry, and go shopping. And finally, at the western tip of the island, Aquinnah is the smallest and most remote town. Sometimes when tourists make it to Aquinnah, they say they can't believe how long it took to get there. If they biked, usually they're exhausted and desperate for another option to go back down island. Unlike other towns, we don't really have a town center. Our only stores are the ones at the cliffs, which are only open seasonally. We're also the only town without our own school. Many people who visit the island spend their entire time in a single town. While it's true that each town has its own unique characteristics, I also think it's a little game people play, as if to distinguish themselves from the other rich white people. Thank **Tonya Mosley:** you for reading that. --- ### [Casino Debate Reveals Tribal Tensions](https://share.snipd.com/snip/057273a4-f4e2-41b2-a0d9-cd4d67f44619) 🎧 05:43 - 06:52 (01:08) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/04b46ed4-7c6a-463a-a307-8ba53e76261c" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - The debate over a casino revealed deep political complexities affecting tribal identity and community sustainability. - Tourism provides income but raises questions about the impact and control of such developments on indigenous lands. #### 💬 Quote > ... the tribe was going through this big internal debate over whether or not we should try to build a casino on our tribal land in Aquinnah. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee discussing how the casino debate shifted his perspective on tribal challenges. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** I think after I graduated college and right before I started grad school, which was going to be in New York City, two things were happening. One was personally, you know, you're leaving college, you're kind of embarking on what you've been told is your adult life, and you're thinking about career and what you're going to do and where you're going to live. And I was excited about that, but I also felt a small sense of loss that maybe as I was moving towards these things, grad school, career, that I was really excited about and excited to work towards that I was sort of wondering if it was bringing me further away from the island and my tribal community. And so this summer that I spent in between college and grad school almost felt kind of like this last hurrah moment. And then the other thing that happened during that summer is my tribe was going through this big internal debate over whether or not we should try to build a casino on our tribal land in Aquinnah. And that was the thing that really helped open my eyes to sort of these more political aspects of tribal community and being Wampanoag beyond kind of the cultural and community events that I had been a part of growing up. --- ### [Visitor Curiosities and Stereotypes](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ed51b666-c850-46be-94d8-39fee9ec4945) 🎧 10:02 - 12:36 (02:34) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/c5b38763-f715-4542-abb7-8d460993254c" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Visitors often ask Joseph Lee surprising and stereotyped questions about Native life and technology use. - Some request photos with him, reflecting common misconceptions about Native identity and appearance. #### 💬 Quote > People would ask all kinds of questions. You know, I didn't think there were Indians anymore. ... Somebody once asked me if we use iPhones... > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee sharing visitor interactions at his family's store. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** Yeah, I mean, it's such a huge range. I think for some reason, being behind a counter just like exposes you to anything anybody wants to say. And then I think being in this unique place of Martha's Vineyard, and then being a tribal member, being a Quinnipawampanoag, brings sort of an extra layer to that. And yeah, people would ask all kinds of questions. You know, I didn't think there were Indians anymore. What are you doing here? What do you wear? What kind of houses do you live in? Somebody once asked me if we use iPhones, which, you know, was very specific, but also, you know, are you talking about like the newest iPhone or, you know, just smartphones? And so there's a lot of weirdness and you kind of have to fight through it. And it's something I wanted to talk about in the book because it's an important part of, I think, my experience, but our experience as a community more broadly. But I also didn't want it to become this like punching down thing where I was sort of focusing on these like bizarre and sometimes offensive comments I was getting, but sort of what's behind them. **Tonya Mosley:** Yeah. I mean, I bet you learn so much about people's ignorance or naivete around Native people and their understanding by how they relate to you. Because your dad is Chinese American and your mom is half Japanese. And so you don't look like what maybe most people assume Native people look like. What have those interactions revealed to you? Yeah, **Joseph Lee:** I think it basically confirms a lot of what I grew up with and what a lot of people will identify as kind of these American stereotypes about what a Native person is, what they look like. And I think there's just so much going on for people in their in their minds when you know they come to Martha's Vineyard expecting one thing and then they come to Aquinnah and it's a little bit different and then they meet us at the store and we're a little bit different and we have this different history that we're talking about and they're like trying to like find some stable footing and I think they're just like grasping on often to like well wait but wait like you're supposed to look like this if you're Native American and you don't really look like that. And another kind of strange thing that happens in this space is sometimes people say, oh, you know, I'm so excited. I've never met a Native person before. Can I take a photo with you? Sometimes it's just, can I take a photo of you? And so sometimes I laugh a little bit wondering, like, well, when they take these photos and go back and show it to people, where do they go? Yeah, what do they do with it? Are they confused? Like, well, who's that Asian looking guy? --- ### [Identity Insecurity from Stereotypes](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a9e0465b-ed75-41a9-986d-73a77df56490) 🎧 12:58 - 13:57 (00:58) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/21897a89-c6ab-40a9-85d3-e2e8791533be" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - External doubts about Indigenous authenticity fueled Joseph Lee's internal struggles with his Native identity. - Lack of traditional markers led him to question his belonging within his tribe. #### 💬 Quote > I always felt a little bit like, well, am I maybe less Native because I don't look the way people expect me to look or because I have these other parts of my background? > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee reflecting on his feelings about identity and appearance. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** I think for a long time, I kind of internalized a lot of what I was feeling externally about what it meant to be Native. And I think in the absence of maybe more nuanced positive models of what it means to be Indigenous, I felt like the only thing I had to fall back on was kind of these stereotypes or simplifications or assumptions. And so I always felt a little bit like, well, am I maybe less Native because I don't look the way people expect me to look or because I have these other parts of my background? And that was something I think I wrestled with for a long time. And it came with all these other factors that, you know, I didn't live full time on Martha's Vineyard. I saw other young Native people who I felt were maybe embracing their culture a little bit more. They were speaking the language or they were competing at powwows or doing these things that I think to me and to maybe many other people seemed so externally, obviously Native. --- ### [Tribal vs. Private Land Ownership](https://share.snipd.com/snip/63ec0228-198b-4f3c-8af3-f42970592704) 🎧 15:20 - 16:10 (00:49) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/8f630cf1-ca44-4b11-8246-71463708c795" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - The Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe owns only a few hundred acres, with more land privately owned by individual members. - Tribal land is crucial but limited, underscoring the need to differentiate between tribally and privately owned properties. #### 💬 Quote > We have a few hundred acres of land, which is not a lot. ... There are also pieces of land owned by individual tribal members like my family. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee discussing land ownership nuances. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** have a few hundred acres of land, which is not a lot. It's certainly more than it has been recently. The tribe has been sort of steadily gaining back land, sometimes in like a little piece, sometimes a bigger chunk. But yeah, it's a pretty small piece of land. should also say that that's the land that the tribe as a government entity has. There are also pieces of land owned by individual tribal members like my family. So our house on the island is private land. It's not, you know, associated with the tribe at all. We're just regular old landowners like, you know, somebody down the street, we pay taxes like everybody else. And so there are a lot of families on the island, especially in Aquinnah, who are in that situation. --- ### [Land and Community Vital Link](https://share.snipd.com/snip/c7816f6e-42cf-4019-adfa-4fabf11dbce4) 🎧 17:04 - 18:20 (01:16) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/4b5d49e9-c4f9-42d3-848a-2220f3ec589a" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Land is essential for identity but losing it makes community-building vital. - Creative strategies are needed to maintain both land ownership and community bonds amid economic challenges. #### 💬 Quote > We need to find other ways, while we're also fighting to keep and keep the land and get more of it back, to acknowledge other ways that Wampanoag community can and must exist. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee on balancing land preservation with community resilience. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** I mean, I think that land is such an important part of it, and there's no way to escape that. And there's no way to say like, well, if we lose the land, we'll be fine. But I also think that, yeah, we need to find other ways, while we're also fighting to keep and keep the land and get more of it back, to acknowledge the other ways that Wampanoag community can and I think must exist. And so for the example of my family, you know, my brother and I both don't live on Martha's Vineyard. And my parents, they have one house on the island and we're fortunate enough to own some land. And, you know, my mother, as you said, has always had this dream of leaving each of us a home on the island. And, you know, I feel extremely lucky and fortunate to be in that situation because so many people, especially in the tribe, just don't have that luxury. But even with what I consider a very uniquely fortunate land situation, I can see, yeah, just one generation in the future if, you know, people decide to sell it or there's a financial disaster or, you know, something bad happens. There are so many things that can go wrong that even now feeling like, you know, we're doing pretty well. --- ### [Complexities of Sovereignty](https://share.snipd.com/snip/44d8f90d-3a3f-4d04-94f9-fe284321bd18) 🎧 21:48 - 24:03 (02:15) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/f0489a37-2f93-4bee-9924-f798b524ae55" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Sovereignty is more than federal recognition; it requires active practice and defense. - Some tribes exercise sovereignty beyond U.S. structures, revealing diverse interpretations and applications. #### 💬 Quote > Sovereignty equals federal recognition, but I came to learn it's a lot more complicated. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee explaining different perspectives on Native sovereignty. #### 📚 Transcript **Tonya Mosley:** So Native American sovereignty refers to this inherent right of indigenous tribes to govern themselves, to make their own laws, to manage their internal affairs, independent of the federal government. And you spent a good portion of this book exploring it, what it means for your tribe, what what means for other tribes throughout the nation and the world. What common threads surprised you? I **Joseph Lee:** think one thing that surprised me is all the different ways that people think about and use sovereignty. When I grew up in the tribe in the 90s, it was just a few years after my tribe, Dequan and Wampanoag, had received federal recognition, which in the U.S. is kind of like the U.S. recognizing your sovereignty as a sovereign nation. and excited by it and, you know, excited for all the opportunities and for what we could do with it. And also just, I think, happy that we were finally being acknowledged as a people, as a nation, which had been denied for so long. And I think because of that, I felt like maybe the work was done. You know, I knew that my parents and my grandparents' generation had achieved federal recognition. And it felt in some ways like that was the finish line, like we did it and now we have it. But what surprised me and what I've learned is that, you know, it's not something you can just sit on, we it, especially when we're talking about just the sort of U.S. federal government version of it. There are all these other ways that you need to practice it and employ it and defend it and build it. And that was one of the really exciting things for me. And the reporting I did is traveling around the country and seeing tribes really using and flexing their sovereignty and using it to push back against some of these U.S. structures. And then along with that too, I think I also heard people talking about sovereignty as something that could exist outside of that U.S. federal recognition structure entirely. And to me, that was really interesting, exciting, because I always thought of sovereignty as like just that, basically. Sovereignty equals federal recognition, but I came to learn it's a lot more complicated. --- ### [Shasta Nation's Sovereignty Focus](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a246d919-0960-42d8-bb33-5d5df1b7dcb4) 🎧 24:10 - 25:14 (01:04) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/288d2d07-7329-4a7f-b0d8-c470a359c5a1" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - The Shasta Indian Nation prioritizes reclaiming land over federal recognition. - Their focus on land rights reflects a broader approach to sovereignty beyond government acknowledgment. #### 💬 Quote > We're not federally recognized. ... Our priority is getting the land back. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee recounting meeting with the Shasta Indian Nation. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** I there are tribes, for example, that are not federally recognized at all. And one of the tribes that I met on a reporting trip was the Shasta Indian Nation in Northern California. not federally recognized. And we were talking to them in the Klamath River Basin as the Klamath River dams, four of them which have now come down, but I was there right before they came down. And they were there trying to get their land back. So when the dam would be removed, the reservoir that the dam had formed would drain away. And that was the land they were trying to reclaim. And I was asking them, you know, you guys aren't federally recognized. Is that something you're trying to get? And what they told me was, well, of course it is. You know, we deserve that recognition. We feel we deserve that recognition and we want it and we'll try to get it. But right now our priority is getting the land back. And that was really interesting to me because I think growing up, I always saw achieving federal recognition is like, that's the thing you should to do. --- ### [Cherokee Freedmen's Exclusion Story](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9b960491-4f3d-413f-97a4-8f8f65d4862f) 🎧 27:49 - 29:31 (01:42) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/edc83e92-462e-4a64-9b34-188f111f110f" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Cherokee freedmen faced exclusion from their tribe despite longstanding community ties. - This experience challenged Joseph Lee's understanding of identity and who is included in Indigenous definitions. #### 💬 Quote > They're being told suddenly, you know, you're not one of us anymore. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee discussing conversations about Cherokee freedmen and membership. #### 📚 Transcript **Tonya Mosley:** You also met with members of the Cherokee freedmen. They're descendants of African Americans who were enslaved by members of the Cherokee Nation, then emancipated and incorporated into the tribe after the Civil War. And that inclusion lasted until the nation began tightening their enrollment requirements, basing them on blood quantum, those who are Cherokee by blood. What did you learn from those conversations that maybe gave you a broader perspective or a different perspective or layered perspective on sovereignty. **Joseph Lee:** Yeah, talking to the freedmen was one of the earliest experiences I had that really, really my own understanding of what it means, not just sort of culturally and personally to be indigenous, but politically what it means to be native in this country. Because amidst all of my insecurity about being native enough, I living up to these ideals? I knew that I could always cling on to this, like, well, I'm a tribal member. You know, I have my tribal ID card. I'm enrolled. I can go to tribal camp. I can participate in these ways. So I felt like, okay, well, I have that, so it's legit. But meeting the freedmen was kind of really eye-opening because there are these people who've been a part of the community, they've fought and died with the community, you know, they're integral. And then they're being told suddenly, you know, you're not one of us anymore. And that really made me wonder sort of, okay, if I'm placing all of this on just, you know, having the tribal ID card, being a member of the tribe, what am I missing or who am I potentially leaving out of this conversation? --- ### [Wampanoag Language Revival Efforts](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9ec7e2d3-4aa7-4d93-a613-d876c3cebdc7) 🎧 31:38 - 32:43 (01:05) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/759681f9-5c96-4232-a474-8a1ce1d4c381" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Wampanoag language revival is ongoing with efforts to teach and grow fluency. - Language revitalization is vital but requires persistent dedication to reconnect with cultural roots. #### 💬 Quote > Our language was lost and we had no fluent speakers for a long time. ... People are dedicating themselves to becoming fluent and teachers in the language. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee on language revitalization at tribal summer camp. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** I grew up learning the Wampanoag language in our tribal summer camp. At the time, a sort of many years long, very ambitious effort to bring back our language was in a relatively early phase. Our language was lost and we had no fluent speakers for a long time. And around the time that I was growing up in camp and the language was coming back, people were working really hard to bring it back. And so in camp, we would practice words and phrases and learn how to introduce ourselves in our language. And yeah, as I grew older, I would attend classes here and there, but it was never really a consistent part of my life. I never was able to prioritize it, but I know that there are a lot of people at home who are dedicating themselves to becoming fluent in the language and more importantly, becoming teachers in the language and learning how to pass along to others and help grow the language because we're still very much in this space where we're trying to bring back the language and help it grow and kind of nourish it. --- ### [Identity As Active Choice](https://share.snipd.com/snip/bf72b4bc-6ea8-4e18-9221-97e30c877298) 🎧 33:52 - 35:47 (01:55) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/37576237-e5c1-4182-925a-dc1c3209a850" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Indigenous identity involves active personal choice and ongoing engagement. - Embracing identity means consciously choosing to connect, not just accepting external labels. #### 💬 Quote > I realize that that's because I'm doing this work. ... By making that choice, that's a way of me embracing that side of my indigenous identity. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee reflecting on identity and engagement. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** I think what I realized is that it really is a choice. I think when I was growing up, you know, as a kid, you have a lot less choice in your life. You have a lot less control. You know, my parents kind of decided how much time we spent on Martha's Vineyard. We would go to tribal summer camp. And as you grow older, I kind of realized that those were choices that they made for me and for my brother. And now I'm in a position where I need to make them for myself, or I need to think about what those choices are. And yeah, that line from Tommy Orange, I really thought about that, you know, should I be thinking about it all the time day? Or should it be so internalized that it's like, I don't even think about it at all. It's just, you know, who I am and I never have to think about it. But I do think about it all the time now. And, you know, I realize that that's because I'm doing this work. I'm making it sort of a personal mission to go out and gather and tell these stories and learn about it. And I realize that that's a choice I've made. And by making that choice, that's an aspect or that's a way of me embracing that side of my indigenous identity. You know, I'm choosing to spend this time doing this when I could be doing something else. I could be choosing to ask different questions or be a kind of writer or have a different job entirely. And I think that that was really powerful for me to think about because for so long I had thought of identity as something that's imposed on you from the outside. And it felt like I had a limited amount of choice in it. But realizing like, well, I can control this relationship. I can control how much I engage with the Aquino Wampanoag community. I can control what I'm writing about. I can make these choices. And in doing so, it's a means of connecting with that community and a means of connecting with that part of who I am. --- ### [Writing for Indigenous Readers](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4e2f18b2-34c0-4054-8895-9c56964c9084) 🎧 36:11 - 37:15 (01:03) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/ce914dda-c225-489c-9b96-9377e9709670" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Write for Indigenous readers without assuming full prior knowledge. - Craft narratives that invite curiosity and questions rather than just presenting conclusions. #### 💬 Quote > Some indigenous readers feel like some of the writing I've done is for them rather than ... for a white audience. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee discussing challenges of accessibility and audience. #### 📚 Transcript **Joseph Lee:** you for asking this question. It's something I've thought a lot about. And one of the best compliments I've gotten from some indigenous readers and indigenous editors is that they really feel like some of the writing I've done is for them rather than, as you say, for a white audience. But yeah, I do think it is important to be as accessible as possible. One of the ways that I thought about that question is to not assume that just because somebody is an indigenous reader, they already know everything. Because as I saw with myself, I was an indigenous writer and I didn't know that much. And so my goal was really to kind of bring readers along with me. And as I learn things, hopefully they're learning, they're asking questions. And one of the things I wanted to do was help myself and hopefully help others ask better questions that lead to these interesting conversations rather than trying to sort of like, well, here are the answers. Here's what I discovered. And if you have this, it's this. And so I didn't want to be in that way. --- ### [Land Acknowledgments Need Action](https://share.snipd.com/snip/e2618416-30cf-481f-9880-d8001577d3e4) 🎧 37:16 - 37:57 (00:41) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/dd791fa2-24d8-4290-8ed8-dd5fa771fe06" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Land acknowledgments raise awareness but must be followed by meaningful actions. - Without action, such acknowledgments risk becoming superficial gestures benefiting only those who say them. #### 💬 Quote > What happens after the land acknowledgment? ... Sometimes land acknowledgments make people feel better but ultimately aren't making any change. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee on the limitations of land acknowledgments in institutional spaces. #### 📚 Transcript **Tonya Mosley:** how do you feel about land acknowledgments at schools and events? This is now a common customary thing to do at the beginning of gatherings by recognizing indigenous history of the land that we're on. What meaning do these acknowledgments hold for you? **Joseph Lee:** that has been unacknowledged by a lot of people for so long. I think you see this especially in university and other institutional spaces where they're saying, we're recognizing whose land this is, we're recognizing the history here. I think the problem with land acknowledgments is, well, what are you doing about it? --- ### [Evolving Indigenous Identity](https://share.snipd.com/snip/02cee28e-f361-4dc8-87fc-61060c6880c9) 🎧 38:19 - 39:08 (00:49) <iframe src="https://share.snipd.com/embed/obsidian-player/snip/7e261232-f99f-4516-b410-cc36345e236d" width="100%" height="100" style="border: none; border-radius: 12px;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-popups allow-clipboard-write" ></iframe> - Indigenous identity and community evolve continuously with changing circumstances. - Holding onto core values while adapting is essential for future resilience. #### 💬 Quote > These things are always evolving and always changing. ... We need to hold core values but be flexible and adaptive. > — Joseph Lee Joseph Lee summarizing what identity and home mean for Indigenous people. #### 📚 Transcript **Tonya Mosley:** What it means to be indigenous. What does home mean? What does identity overall mean? If it's not tied to land, what have you come to? I **Joseph Lee:** think the answer is we just have to keep asking these questions and keep having these conversations. I think one of the mistakes that I made is thinking that you arrive at an answer and then it's over. It's done and that's the answer forever. But I think the real answer is that these things are always evolving and always changing. And so I think land will always be important to indigenous people. And indigenous community is based around land and solidarity. But what that looks like will continue to change just as it's changed in my parents' grandparents' lives and it's changed in my own life. --- Created with [Snipd](https://www.snipd.com) | Highlight & Take Notes from Podcasts