Abstract
Since Roger Williams’ arrival in Narragansett Territory in 1636, and his subsequent settlement of the Providence Plantations, the Narragansett Indian Tribe--the Indigenous people to this land--have faced a series of intergenerational atrocities, including attempted genocides. For generations, these heinous wrongs have not been corrected by state or federal courts, which have often compounded the harms against the Narragansett people. Although the American legal system has played a role in perpetuating the intergenerational harms experienced by the Narragansett people, these institutions also have the opportunity to be a part of the solution. The Article examines the existing domestic legal framework for holding the United States accountable for acts of genocide, and its limitations, under 18 U.S.C. § 1091. The Article then explores the Narragansett Indian Tribe’s historically tenuous relationship with the State of Rhode Island and the United States, through an examination of genocidal acts and formative events that have affected those governments’ relationships with the Tribe. Finally, the Article suggests the use of restorative justice and reparations as a means bring accountability, reconciliation and justice.
Pages 89-124.
Recommended Citation
Dumpson, Afro-Indigenous; Black, Narragansett, Nanticoke, and Mohawk ancestry, Taylor A.. "A 385-Year Experiment to Erase a People: Intergenerational Acts of Genocide Against the Narragansett Indian Tribe by the United States of America and the State of Rhode Island." Tribal Law Journal 21, 1 (2021). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/tlj/vol21/iss1/4