Papal Bulls
Papal Bulls created the foundation for the Doctrine of Discovery.
Repudiations
Repuidations of the Doctrine of Discovery by religious organizations and faith communities
Recent posts
Conclusion: Dismantling the Doctrine of Christian Discovery Cultivating Right Relations Permalink
The conclusion calls for decolonization beyond legal reform, centering Indigenous law, land return, and right relations to resist Christian Discovery.
Federal Anti-indian Law: Why a Challenge to “Christian Discovery” Creates a Metaphysical Crisis for the US Permalink
Peter d’Errico argues that U.S. anti Indian law rests on Christian Discovery, and that challenging it exposes a metaphysical crisis in U.S. law today.
Right & Respectful Relations: A Memoir of the Road to the Historic Yakama Nation Amicus Brief Challenging ‘Christian Discovery’ in Washington State V. Cougar Den Permalink
Jode Goudy recounts how the Yakama Nation built a historic amicus brief, connecting treaty rights, sovereignty, and opposition to Christian Discovery.
The Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Domination: How It Has Been Used by United States Courts to Deny Treaty Rights & Dismiss the Haudenosaunee Land Rights Cases Permalink
Joseph J. Heath shows how U.S. courts use Christian Discovery to deny Haudenosaunee treaty and land rights, and calls for its repudiation in U.S. law.
The International Law of Colonialism: The Doctrine of Discovery Permalink
Robert J. Miller traces how the Doctrine of Discovery became international law, enabling colonial claims over Indigenous land, rights and sovereignty.
My Decades-long Inquiry Into the Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Domination Permalink
Steven Newcomb reflects on decades studying Christian Discovery, showing how law and language normalized domination over Native nations for centuries.
A Postscript: Sovereignty is Still the Issue Permalink
This postscript argues Indigenous nations need full sovereignty, rejecting settler carve outs and urging a healing return to precolonial lifeways now.
An Intergenerational and Perpetual Imperium of Domination and Subjugation of Indigenous Peoples: The Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Royal Supremacy Permalink
Phillip Rodgers Falk argues that native title and colonial sovereignty preserve Indigenous subordination through terra nullius and racial hierarchies.
An Appeal to the American People—Overturning “Federal Indian Law” Permalink
Steven J. Schwartzberg urges Americans to overturn Federal Indian Law by confronting the colonial assumptions that still shape U.S. jurisprudence now.
Domination Chronicles: Loretta Afraid of Bear-Cook on Living in Oglala Lakota Community Permalink
Loretta Afraid of Bear-Cook joins Newcomb and d’Errico to discuss Oglala Lakota community, language, traditions, and resistance to domination.
Domination Chronicles: Mark Savage on Natural Rights and Unravelling the Questions Permalink
Attorney Mark Savage joins Domination Chronicles to revisit plenary power, original free existence, treaties, and systemic litigation.
S06E09: The Legacy of Charles H. Long Part 2: How & Why White Supremacy Persists Permalink
A conversation on Charles H. Long, the Doctrine of Discovery, whiteness, Indigenous resurgence, womanist critique, and new ways to imagine the human.
Doctrine of Discovery Resources Permalink
Doctrine of Discovery Resources and Bibliography
Domination Chronicles: Bruce McIvor on Legalized Lawlessness Permalink
Bruce McIvor joins Newcomb and d’Errico to discuss Canadian law, reconciliation, the Doctrine of Discovery, and ongoing colonization.
JCRT Publishes First of Two Special Issues from the 2023 Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery Conference
JCRT publishes the first of two special issues from the 2023 Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery Conference, with scholarship on history, law, and justice.