Beyond Settler Time: Temporal Sovereignty and Indigenous Self-Determination

Overview

• Author: Mark Rifkin
• Main Themes: Indigenous temporal sovereignty, critique of settler time, Indigenous self-determination, temporal pluralism.

Key Concepts

Simultaneity and Temporal Frames

• Simultaneity requires a single frame of reference; settler discourses often define this frame.
• Settler narratives position the US as a static backdrop, erasing Indigenous temporal sovereignty.

Indigenous Presence in the Present

• Mere inclusion of Indigenous peoples in a shared present does not address the historical violence of settler narratives.
• Time should be viewed as plural (temporalities) rather than singular.

Temporal Sovereignty

• Indigenous temporal orientations resist displacement by settler time.
• Temporal orientation refers to divergent processes rather than a simple temporal container.
• Cultural and temporal orientations shape experiences toward the past, present, and future.

Dominant Settler Orientations

• Settler orientations impose a singular temporal framework.
• Indigenous orientations relate to specific territories and histories, offering alternative temporal worlds.

Effects of Non-Native Frames

• Non-native frames tend to fix Indigenous traditions in the past, limiting their expression of temporal sovereignty.
• Authenticity often tied to preservation of past traditions against modernity.

Shared Modernity

• Shared modernity can obscure Indigenous temporal sovereignty by merging Indigenous experiences into settler-defined timelines.
• Questions arise about how Indigenous self-determination is impacted by being understood within a singular temporal framework.

Indigenous Time and Modernity

• Discussions on Indigenous peoples' participation in modernity often reflect settler colonial influences.
• Persistent settler colonialism shapes modernity, obscuring Indigenous temporal multiplicities.

Recognition and Sovereignty

• Indigenous recognition within settler frameworks may reproduce colonial power structures.
• The concept of "shared time" might hinder Indigenous self-determination by reinforcing settler narratives.

Indigenous Refusal of Settler Recognition

• Alternative: Refusal of settler-imposed recognition.
• Emphasizes Indigenous existence outside settler norms and frames.

Concluding Thoughts

• Temporal multiplicity offers a challenge to settler time by highlighting Indigenous histories and experiences.
• Understanding Indigenous temporal sovereignty requires acknowledging the unique temporal frameworks that resist settler-imposed narratives.

Key References

• Deborah Miranda on Indigenous storytelling as a river of continuous change.
• Philip Deloria on Native and non-native shared histories.
• Audra Simpson on the political strategy of refusal.

Critical Questions

• How does settler colonialism extend through temporal frameworks?
• What are the implications of conceptualizing Indigenous experiences within settler-defined modernity?