I found Robinson’s study to reveal interesting facts and make even more fascinating connections. Parts of the study felt disheartening, like the primary source from a Jamestown resident, Caroline Wright, wrote: “Our roots belonged here...our ancestors were buried here just as deep, if not deeper than the Indians.” And I find that disturbing because these grounds are ancient, yet, later we learn Wright was part of “protecting burials from further desecration” and I wondered if anyone else felt a weird sense of whiplash from this knowledge? My initial assumption from the first quote, especially when paired with one from Dr. Ella Sekatau, who is a Narragansett Indian tribal ethnohistorian and medicine woman. Her quote is about how nature in itself is the oldest on the land and then her ancestors. To me, these quotes side-by-side show a huge contrast in perspective that Robinson is trying to grapple with this research.
It’s even more disheartening to think about how just like in the past, Native Americans are still treated as though they are in the way. People who took their land simply like to forget this fact so easily when it comes to expanding their desires, as stated: “Any construction within the town centers risks encountering Narragansett burials, as was the case for school construction in the 1950s and excavations for municipal water lines in 1995” (Robinson 400). Robinson also mentions the oddity of the Jamestown residents praising the Narragansett in the 19th and 20th centuries, but most of the recorded information is disconnected after the 1657 purchase as seen in J.R. Coles’ telling of “History of Jamestown.” In this, the language is interesting because it shows the Narragansett’s leader, Canonicus, assimilated to the ways of the settlers, who act as though their homeland is the ultimate oppressor but do not see that behavior in themselves. It’s also interesting to think that those Native to the land had to assimilate to the colonizer and today, Americanization is rooted in colonialism (Euro-centric attitudes aka white). Therefore, this “praise” is for adopting “civilized” practices (in air quotes because connects back to how civilized in Keywords is associated with Euro-centric mannerisms).
Also, seeing “purchase” in quotes is interesting because that signifies the purchase wasn’t an actual purchase, showing that using terms like “purchase” or “remove” are initially subtle ways of erasure that then turn to have big consequences in the ways the education system teaches the Native American narrative. The section on “The Archaeology of Forgetting” follows suit on the erasure process since Narragansett grounds were excavated without much thought or consideration. The forgetting is not accidental, but something that residents choose, which is a harsh, traumatic practice.
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