Indigenous land claims, legal geographies, & colonial archives: Tracing the ownership history of the John's Homestead
Date
2025
Authors
Hume, Catharine
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Publisher
University Of Victoria
Abstract
The Oneida Nation is originally from the upstate New York area and lost access to their traditional territories through numerous land agreements and treaties with European and American governments. In 1840, 200 members of the Oneida Nation purchased land in Middlesex County in Southwestern Ontario. Two subsequent groups followed. The land purchases categorize the community as a settlement rather than a government-allocated reserve–however, the Canadian government inaccurately classifies the settlement as Reserve No. 41.
This project examines how critical legal geographies–a theoretical and analytical approach that bridges law, power, and space–can serve as both an analytical tool and a practical mechanism for supporting Indigenous land claims. Drawing from this framework, this research analyzes the archival history of a parcel of land adjacent to the Oneida Nation of the Thames, colloquially known as the John's Homestead (Lot 14 and 15, Concession D in Delaware Township). Community members have place-based oral histories of the John's Homestead, although it is not within the official boundaries of the settlement. Foregrounding Oneida’s distinct legal situation, critical analysis and reflection of the findings and methodology reveal spatial and legal complexities of Indigenous land restitution and how archives privilege colonial narratives and power asymmetries.
Description
Keywords
critical legal geographies, archival research, land back, land claims, indigenous sovereignty, property