Indigenous Sovereignty in the United States: A Perspective from Anishinabe Nation Documents

• Grant number: 24/16400-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology - Indigenous Ethnology
• Principal Investigator: Harryson Júnio Lessa Gonçalves
• Grantee: Vitor Hugo Santana Lima
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências (FFC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Marília. Marília , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Indigeneity in the United States is marked by a complex history of resistance, survival, and the assertion of rights by Indigenous peoples, who fight to preserve their cultures, languages, and territories in the face of colonial and governmental policies. The Anishinabe people exemplify this struggle through their pursuit of sovereignty and the protection of their ancestral lands. Indigenous identity is intrinsically linked to the land, which is not merely a physical space, but a central element of their cosmology, spirituality, and way of life. In this context, the general objective of this scientific initiation research is to "interpret the meaning of the concept of sovereignty found in official documents, with the aim of uncovering the relationships between the Anishinabe people, as a domestic nation, and their interactions with state and federal governments in the United States." To achieve this, a qualitative investigation of exploratory and descriptive nature will be conducted, carried out in three stages: (i) bibliographic analysis (systematic literature review), (ii) documentary analysis (analysis of official documents and judicial decisions related to the Anishinabe nation), and (iii) data interpretation. The data will be analyzed and interpreted using qualitative research software.