Red Nation Rising: From Bordertown Violence to Native Liberation

by Nick Estes, David Correia, Jennifer Nez Denetdale

 Red Nation Rising is the first book ever to investigate and explain the violent dynamics of bordertowns. Bordertowns are white-dominated towns and cities that operate according to the same political and spatial logics as all other American towns and cities. The difference is that these settlements get their name from their location at the borders of current-day reservation boundaries, which separates the territory of sovereign Native nations from lands claimed by the United States. Bordertowns came into existence when the first US military forts and trading posts were strategically placed along expanding imperial frontiers to extinguish indigenous resistance and incorporate captured indigenous territories into the burgeoning nation-state. To this day, the US settler state continues to wage violence on Native life and land in these spaces out of desperation to eliminate the threat of Native presence and complete its vision of national consolidation “from sea to shining sea.” This explains why some of the most important Native-led rebellions in US history originated in bordertowns and why they are zones of ongoing confrontation between Native nations and their colonial occupier, the

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Indigenous, Politics, Native American, Indigenous History, Social Justice

176 pages, Paperback

Published July 6, 2021

About the author

Nick Estes is a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. He is an Assistant Professor in the American Studies Department at the University of New Mexico. In 2014, he co-founded The Red Nation, an Indigenous resistance organization. For 2017-2018, Estes was the American Democracy Fellow at the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History at Harvard University.

Estes is the author of the book Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (Verso, 2019) and he co-edited Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement (University of Minnesota, 2019), which draws together more than thirty contributors, including leaders, scholars, and activists of the Standing Rock movement.

Estes’ journalism and writing is also featured in the Intercept, Jacobin, Indian Country Today, The Funambulist Magazine, and High Country News.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I hate capitalism, but every once in a while something comes along that reinforces this hatred, and reminds me that I'm not working hard enough to tear it down. This is one of those books.

[Diogenes Grief · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published by The Red Nation (https://therednation.org/), an organization “dedicated to the liberation of Native peoples from capitalism and colonialism. We center Native political agendas and struggles through direct action, advocacy, mobilization, and education”, and discussed on their enlightening podcast Red Nation Rising (https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/...), this book is very much a manifesto for revolutionary socialism, indigenous feminism, and anti-imperialism for indigenous people around the globe, including Palestine. They are also a parallelism to the Black Lives Matter movement, just as the American Indian Movement (AIM) was inspired by the Black Panther Party in the late ‘60s, because to the indigenous, they are extremely aware of how African slavery and indigenous genocide were intertwined in the forging of the United States of Hypocrisy where greed ruled through violence, and how it still does today.

“There is no ‘rural’ or ‘urban’, no ‘Rez’ or ‘city’; there is only the bordertown. The border exists everywhere settler order confronts Native order. Everything in a settler world is a border. Our persistent survival is the primary contradiction and the unresolvable crisis of settler colonialism. Settlers enforce the logic of border towns to overcome this contradiction. This is their primary job and the essence of their existence as settlers. They are born vigilantes in the making, taught to fear Native people and to see Native society as a threat. These are the conditions that give life to the violence of settler society. The Indian must be eliminated for no other reason than that we represent an alternative political order, one that precedes settler society and that holds within it the destruction of settler reality” (pp. 142-3).

This collection of essays unpacks the concept of the “bordertown”, examines the history of racist capitalism and it’s brutal police enforcers, and highlights the disease of settler colonialism upon Otherness. “Under the conditions of a devastating global pandemic, settlers refuse to wear masks. They claim it robs them of their ‘liberties’. They whine because they cannot accumulate property or survey their domain uninterrupted. They protest with guns to demand there right to be served and catered to. This is our present moment, but this has always been true with settlers. The present Monet reinforces what we already know: settlers are parasites” (p. 146). What they seek is justice for the crimes against humanity that Euro-centric History has wrought. They do not seek apologies, or reparations, or platitudes. ”Should we live in a world organized around Native and Black death, or should we refuse this world, burn it to the ground, and conjure another in its place?” (p. 30). They wish to watch the entire system burn. They strive for native liberation.

My typical disclaimer for such works: I’m an educated, suburban, Caucasian and know that I have no voice in these issues, but I am in complete solidarity with such causes and therefore feel compelled to show my solidarity by continually being educated and humbled by the knowledge and experiential wisdom of others. I support in every way I can, and hope to mobilize others to do likewise.

“There is now a monstrous disruption in the balance of all relatives who live above and below the surface of the Earth. Today, in our era of life, this monster is known as capitalism, the most threatening and successful force of death and poverty.

We must remind ourselves that borders on this hemisphere are recent lines drawn by the claws of capitalism. Borders preserve an imbalance, favoring those who benefit from the misery of broken kinship. Capitalism’s insatiable hunger for violence is manifested by every border structure it builds. The suffering and indignity Palestinian people experience when crossing an Israeli checkpoint is similar to that of Yaqui people held at gunpoint by US border patrol agents, with the same company providing walls and surveillance technology for both borders” (p. 10).

Forget guns, germs, and steel. Bullets, bibles, bottles, bureaucrats, bacteria, badges, and banks are the weapons of oppression, now as of then. ”All exploitation is a crime, whether it be the so-called legal plunder of Native lands, the rape of Native women, or the refusal to pay Native workers a living wage. Liberation will come when we are able to end our exploitation by overthrowing the very systems that create it—capitalism and settler colonialism—and the class of people who uphold it—corporations, owners, and politicians” (p. 91). What this book truly enlightened me on was the concept of “two-spirit” nonbinary people in indigenous culture, how Hispanic Americans also abuse Native people, as well as how deeply engrained settler colonialism is within the psyche of Caucasian America. While Native and Black America have experienced engrained, multigenerational trauma, Caucasian America has experienced engrained fear of Otherness, reinforced over and over again by the entertainment industry and buttressed by stereotypes, practices, and policies. This is quite plausibly epigenetics, but it is in no way an unbreakable chain. We can transform the system, even if it means starting from scratch. The indigenous peoples of the Earth can lead the way towards a brighter, more selfless, more sustainable future for Gaia and Her bio-systems, including those of Homo sapiens, but the system of vampiric capitalism needs to be utterly destroyed. ”If history seeks truth, as we are taught, then US history offers no truth. Objectivity is a scam. And tri-cultural harmony is a ploy designed to prevent us from seeing settler colonialism for what it really is. Tie a chain around it, pull it to the ground, dump it in the river” (p. 109).

[Lathram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary addition to the published work of Native liberation and resistance to settler colonialism. The authors unsettle the concept of a bordertown, which they define as “white-dominated towns and cities that operate according to the same political and spatial logics as all other American towns and cities,” but these towns become known for their proximity to reservations. By focusing on bordertowns, the authors unveil the ways that all of the land settled and currently occupied in the "United States" is actually a bordertown, bordertowns are just the spatial locations where settler colonialism (violence) is most obvious. This shows up in various ways: MMIWG2S, cops killing Native people, exploitation of land and man camps that follow, alcohol sales, the impacts of our global pandemic. I appreciated this book for its rigorous analysis of historic and ongoing settler colonialism, its continual connections to global anti-colonial and decolonial movements through lateral solidarity, its challenge of peace and justice as liberally understood, its complication of reconciliation – just to name a few.

As our nation is currently constructed, Native life, land, and lifeways are a constant threat – because existence is resistance. Liberal, left, and conservative settlers alike turn away from this reality, and violence continues to ensue. A settler is not just a person occupying land, it is also an orientation towards all land and life – extracting, exploiting, privatizing, commodifying. Read this book and you’re forced to look.

A few favorite sections in no particular order: Law (chp. 4), Solidarity/Alliance (chp. 8), Off the Reservation (chp. 2), Property (chp. 6), Class (chp. 4), Tradition (chp. 6), Vigilante (chp. 3)

*The section on Law especially gave me language that I've been searching for.

[Rachel]

Star ratings are such an inadequate system for evaluating books and especially reading this - a manifesto for decolonization and resisting settlers when I am a settler in North America. I'll just say - this book is worth reading, it will not hold your hand, you will learn things.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small book full to the brim with a path forward towards liberation. I'm trying to write something intelligent here but just read it and then read some more, do some mutual aid and work to abolish private property plus the borders that live in our minds. This isn't a book of hand-holding, nor should it be, but that's where growth comes. This is a fantastic deconstruction of settler colonialism, how it shows up and shapes our lives, the inherent violence of it, and how we're going to get free. Take your time with this, even though it's a slim volume, and be in your thoughts.

Here's a teeny tiny place to start: https://ecotrust.org/call-to-action-f...
Also the red nation has a dope youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRedNation

[Shelley Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unflinching look at the multitude of human rights abuses Native people experience in US bordertowns. A bordertown, as the authors define it, is a white dominated municipality that exists on the borders of current Native reservations in the US. Given that the entire US is built on land stolen from Native nations, every US city and town is essentially a bordertown.

There is a meticulous analysis of anti-Indian violence and stereotypes, from Indian rolling to forced sterilization, alcohol to homelessness, that makes for grim reading. While there is some essential history which is very useful for a non-Native reader such as myself, the book's focus is on the current situation, with glimpses towards a future where Native peoples can flourish. While the book rightly celebrates the fact that Native peoples and cultures have survived in the face of unrelenting attempts to destroy them, I would have appreciated more analysis on exactly how that survival was accomplished. The authors acknowledge how the 1960s Civil Rights and Black Power movements encouraged Native organizing and draw parallels between anti-Black racism and anti-Indian hatred. This reader appreciated the authors' gender perspective and their clear statement that any movement for Indian liberation must include Native women and girls and the LGBTQI2S communities.

The book is an indictment, in clear and simple language, of white settler colonialism, and of capitalism. It is hence a primer for anyone interested in Native liberation. It's a call to action whose last two chapters focus on what needs to be done. It is not a practical manual for social change, with a plan of action, but more of a theoretical framework for what steps need to be taken for true decolonization.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Nation Rising is less a history and more of a manifesto of subjugated Native peoples. Using recent events, the authors detail a series of transgressions designed to exploit and destroy Native peoples using a concept they call the Bordertown to describe the conflict zone between settler colonialism and Native Americans. Certainly, racial and ethnic bias could explain the treatment of Native Americans, but the authors offer a plausible alternative explanation. They claim settler colonialism, a thinly veiled metaphor for the policy of the United States, targets Native Americans because they have not accepted citizenship. Discrimination is not because of racial differences but because Native peoples do not recognize the United States as a legitimate authority. This is the result of the liberal idea of property ownership that dominates interactions between Native nations and the state.

The book is in your face and straightforward. Unfortunately, it offers few solutions. Presentism is rife. It is a simple task to judge the past using today's standards. That said, the book is great. It articulates the true feelings of a group of people who were unjustly treated. It's worth the read to understand the lingering effects of our past. It reminded me of a time when I spoke to a Kosovar in the region. He described in some detail Kosovo Polje of 1488; his emotion was as if it occurred yesterday, not 500 years ago.

History has an impact on where we are today. You can only know where you are, based on where you came from.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Nation Rising investigates the violent dynamics of bordertowns—white-dominated towns and cities that ring Indian reservations—and how they impose on Native people every day. Providing insight on how settler colonialism has led to Native nations being heavily policed and controlled.

"The Earth and Sky gave us all unique tools and abilities to slay the monster known as capitalism. This book is one of them."

Native life and land have always been, and continue to be, under constant threat. This is a powerful collection of essays that is not an easy read, but it is an important one. Everything is built to erase Native life—from exploitation of land, to homelessness, to alcoholism, to Indian rolling, to police violence, to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people, to forced sterilisation, to global pandemics, to treaties that are never honoured—there is nothing in place to protect and liberate Native people from settler conquest.

This is an enlightening historical and ongoing analysis, however it is not just a collection of the violence that Native nations face, but how we can lead the way to liberation. Through kinship, we are strong. Through kinship, we build solidarity.

"Liberation will come when we are able to end our exploitation by overthrowing the very systems that create it."

[Cancerclaws · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift from my granddaughter-in-law and a real slap in the face compared to what I had thought about Native Americans and their treatment, which quite honestly wasn't very much. This street level spotlight on their real experience in communities near reservations is brutal in the telling. Their phrase 'Managed belonging' is exquisite in it's reality and nuance, but doesn't touch the cruelty. In a land they knew as their home for thousands of years they are now 'the other' who doesn't belong. It's no wonder we have been prevented from hearing this narrative. But our victims have found their voice and we ignore it at our peril.

[John Gattermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Injustice is baked into the American equation. You can’t unbake a cake. This collection is excellent at reframing our relationships to colonial structures and how we can all contribute to a freer and truly just future.

[Mills College Library]

323.1197 E798 2021

[Lilia Noger-Onstott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Destroy capitalism! Abolish private property! End the US nation!

[Morgan Talty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant look into native liberation. Not a moment in this book does it let up.

[Taiyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, clarion manifesto.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up on a border town and have heard of things like this

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very descriptive about Native American struggles. Good information and I learned a lot from this book.

[Mariella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little intro to huge topics. But Weare all in Bordentown and better recognize it.

[Melissa L · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book. Tell everyone to read because it's message needs to be heard.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that the authors didn't pull their punches. This book is real in a way so few are now days. My world perspective shifted on its axis and I'm so grateful

[Brian Mcquaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second time reading Red Nation Rising. I think this is an excellent book for laying out the fundamental structure of settler colonialism and the role of various institutions and ideologies within it. The authors hold little punches and do so with great eloquence. I wish they laid out concrete forms of struggle and organization against colonialism. The book is very approachable and breaks down complex ideas in a very digestible form which i think is invaluable.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read, both timeless and timely book that dismantles several terminologies and violences that threaten Indigenous people. One of the biggest awakenings was the passage on human rights and how this term and any collection "liberties" umbrellaed under this term relies on the settler state in order to exist.