The Ghost Road: Anishinaabe Responses to Indian Hating

by Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Even before the Revolutionary War, American colonists feared and fought "merciless Indian savages," and through the following centuries, American law and policy have been molded by the relentless tradition of Indian-hating. From proportional representation and restrictions on the right to bear arms, to the break-up of tribal property rights and the destruction of Indian culture and family, the attacks on tribal governance and people continue and remain endemic. More than just a study of the progression of law, this book balances each chapter's history with the relating of a traditional Anishinaabe story or teaching, providing both context and a roadmap for survival.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2020

Reviews

[Rachel Drobnak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clarifying, insightful work on both past and current forms of “Indian-hating”/racism/injustices within the United States to all Native people, but especially the Anishinaabeg. I learned so much and enjoyed the format of traditional stories combined with Fletcher’s writing. I really liked how focused it was on Anishinaabeg people and the context of the Great Lakes. I had a hard time getting through some of the legal sections but understood the gist of it - Fletcher (being a law professor) includes lots of legal cases, which was both helpful and challenging.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew L.M. Fletcher’s The Ghost Road: Anishinaabe Responses to Indian Hating is both an examination of what Fletcher terms “Indian hating” and an Anishinaabe guide to resisting Indian hating. This work is first and foremost about both Indigenous and U.S. law and governance. More specifically, Fletcher examines colonial and contemporary practices of Indian hating, which he frames as encompassing outright violence as well as the rhetoric and policy designed to diminish tribal sovereignties and Indigenous nations’ existence. Though he doesn’t use this language, Indian hating is central to settler colonialism, which is what the U.S. is founded upon and continues to rely upon for its existence.

For full transparency, while I was excited to dive into this read, I was more than a little concerned that it would have more legalese than I was comfortable with given my relatively small knowledge of law beyond the historical contexts and consequences of federal Indian law and policy in the United States. I needn’t have worried though as most of this book was accessible to the layperson and concepts were usually explained where necessary. I looked up relatively few words.

The book is divided into two halves: ancient and modern Indian hating. Each chapter’s title refers to the content Fletcher takes up. In this way, they read as separate pieces addressing issues such as privatization of Indigenous lands, allotment, the removal of Indigenous children, and hateful use of poverty. Each chapter is prefaced with an Anishinaabe story or teaching, which Fletcher weaves back into the conclusion for the chapter.

Fletcher’s explanation of federal Indian law and policy is filled with biting humor and clear takedowns of how the vast majority of American law professionals (from attorneys to the Supreme Court) and the American public misunderstand Indigenous sovereignty, intentionally or not, to the detriment of Indigenous nations. As can be expected there’s a lot of anger to be found in this book. Contemporary examples expose books, lawsuits, and propaganda as purely anti-American Indian. Yet there’s also a lot of possibility, particularly when considering Anishinaabe legal principles and the teachings that structure our governance systems. Fletcher doesn’t tell anyone what the solutions are, mostly because there aren’t clear solutions. Anti-Indigenous behavior and practice guides everything the U.S. and those with power do on a daily basis. Still, like many decolonial or resurgence based practices, Fletcher promotes reliance on teachings, values, and practices to find a path away from Indian hating.

I will say that if you are not comfortable, particularly as an Indigenous reader, of the use of the term “Indian,” this book may be a challenge because it is replete with such usage.

I feel it's also important to note that Fletcher is using Anishinaabe teachings to present a guide for interpretation and change that is perhaps most useful for Anishinaabe people. Though many other Indigenous tribal nations are present in this book (from Osage to Hoopa to Diné), care needs to be taken to not claim Anishinaabe knowledge as their path to fighting anti-Indigenous sentiment and law. Rather, Fletcher points to the importance of Indigenous peoples’ long held oratory practices as holding their own answers or pathways to a different future.

****Thank you to Fulcrum Publishing for this finished copy****

[Sean Kottke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago, I picked up a book called "Lifting the Fog of Legalese," which argued for the use of plain language in law. Matthew L.M. Fletcher has definitely taken that advice to great effect in this focused review of federal and state policies grounded in hatred of Native Americans and alternative approaches, grounded in Anishinaabe philosophy and cosmology. Each chapter begins with a relevant legend, followed by a critique of American case law and legal scholarship in clear, bracing, and colloquial language (sometimes too colloquial; there's a few to many uses of "for whatever reason" in describing events and motives from the past).

[Kelly Povilaitis Kretschmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel such a growth in understanding history of legal decisions negative impact on the Indians. Thank you for writing this book!