Mobilizing for Indigenous Futures
March 4, 2025 Alessandra la Rocca Link
At the turn of the century, Indigenous migrations fueled two intertribal movements—the Peyote Religion and the Society of American Indians—that sparked cultural, spiritual, and political revitalization. The chapter argues that both movements imagined and acted on behalf of diverse, expansive, and plural Indigenous futures in the midst of crisis, even as US colonial agents sought to suppress Indigenous presents and futures. Though one centered on spirituality and the other on social and political organization, both preserved Indigenous cultures and traditions while managing sweeping change. Both relied on networks of exchange and movement powered by railroads, taking root in disparate locations.