S06E05: The Sloan Lecture - The Oneidas, the Best Land, and the Erie Canal - By Susan Brewer

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Introduction

Susan Brewer (Sloan Lecture) traces the history of the “best land” — a tract in Madison County, New York — and the ways state actors, private intermediaries, and market forces dispossessed the Oneida Nation as New York built the Erie Canal.

Key themes

• The “best land” sits on historic Oneida territory and became central to canal-era speculation.
• The Erie Canal’s celebration as innovation obscures the legal and coercive methods used to acquire Indigenous land.
• Historical narratives erased Oneida presence while honoring settlers who profited from dispossession.

Resources

• Brewer, Susan A. The Best Land: Four Hundred Years of Love and Betrayal on Oneida Territory. Cornell University Press, 2024.

Credits

• Music: Onondaga Social Dance songs performed by Orris Edwards and Regis Cook
• Producers: Jordan Loewen-Colón; Adam DJ Brett; Crow Richardson
• Show notes: Adam DJ Brett

Citation

Philip P. Arnold and Sandra Bigtree, “06E06: Brewer - Sloan Lecture- The Oneidas, the Best Land, and the Erie Canal - By Susan Brewer” Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery (Podcast), 2026-02-01. https://podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org/season6/episode-06/.

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