I haven’t a clear memory of my introduction to the Doctrine of Discovery at that 2009 ‘Parliament’. I can’t recall the event, nor the venue, or even the speaker. But, I have a good recollection of my first thought when it was explained to me – DISBELIEF! First of all, disbelief that such a thing even existed. And an equal amount of disbelief that at age 75 I had never heard of it. I found out that I wasn’t alone in that regard – no one traveling with me from my congregation had heard of it either. In fact, I didn’t find many folks who were aware of it during those first couple of years as I began my research. I remember speaking to a member of our congregation at coffee hour after a Sunday Service, a lawyer, who felt that those kind of rules and regulations are no longer in force. He pretty much ‘blanked-out’ when I cited the 2005 Supreme Court case that referenced it. To his credit, he became a strong ally of my efforts to bring information about the ‘Doctrine’ to the congregation.
Since my introduction to it in 2009, I’ve accumulated a considerable amount of information on the Doctrine of Discovery, and also about many other elements which nation-states, including the United States, have used to impose a self-identified ‘superior’ culture unto peoples that they considered ‘lesser’ and ‘other’. My purpose in sharing the information I’ve gathered together on this website and the presentations I give, is to heighten the awareness of our history. Our common history. Because we both – the colonized and the colonizers – have ancestors that lived in that history and were influenced, to some degree, by these colonization elements. And it is essential to know that we, all of us, still live in a world suffering from all kinds of detrimental issues which, I think, can be traced to these same colonization elements.
Making that connection – discovering colonization in today’s cultural practices – that alone does not provide answers and solutions, of course. And both of those are needed, badly, and in some cases immediately. However, I believe that we can’t begin to formulate the answers and solutions until we have a better understanding of our history. As with any problem, it can’t be fixed until it is identified and described. My hope is that the information I share will provide the awareness of the past in order that we – the colonized and the colonizers – can create solutions that mend the wounds and redirect our common aspirations for our future together.
In the articles on this website, I will share the details of the colonization elements I’ve discovered. Each of the articles will mostly stand alone, but when there is a connection to another article or articles, I’ll include a link or links to the associated material. While the website is loosely organized in a chronological order, it is not critical to follow the order in which the topics are presented to gain a full appreciation of the information I’m sharing.
I hope you find my efforts in this project a time well spent for both of us!
’til later;
Dave