X-Marks: Native Signatures of Assent

by Scott Richard Lyons

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, North American Indian leaders commonly signed treaties with the European powers and the American and Canadian governments with an X , signifying their presence and assent to the terms. These x-marks indicated coercion (because the treaties were made under unfair conditions), resistance (because they were often met with protest), and acquiescence (to both a European modernity and the end of a particular moment of Indian history and identity).

 

In X-Marks , Scott Richard Lyons explores the complexity of contemporary Indian identity and current debates among Indians about traditionalism, nationalism, and tribalism. Employing the x-mark as a metaphor for what he calls the “Indian assent to the new,” Lyons offers a valuable alternative to both imperialist concepts of assimilation and nativist notions of resistance, calling into question the binary oppositions produced during the age of imperialism and maintaining that indigeneity is something that people do, not what they are. Drawing on his personal experiences and family history on the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota, discourses embedded in Ojibwemowin (the Ojibwe language), and disagreements about Indian identity within Native American studies, Lyons contends that Indians should be able to choose nontraditional ways of living, thinking, and being without fear of being condemned as inauthentic.

 

Arguing for a greater recognition of the diversity of Native America, X-Marks analyzes ongoing controversies about Indian identity, addresses the issue of culture and its use and misuse by essentialists, and considers the implications of the idea of an Indian nation. At once intellectually rigorous and deeply personal, X-Marks holds that indigenous peoples can operate in modern times while simultaneously honoring and defending their communities, practices, and values.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Indigenous, 19th Century, 18th Century, Grad School

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCZIr...

[Ai Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really an amazing and challenging read that I know I will go back to! Lyons does a great job of breaking down the arguments he's grappling with, and really makes challenging claims about sovereignty, nationalism, and policing. This is really great stuff I'll be grappling with in my teaching in the future and also gives me so much more to read and consider!

[Sophia Treviño Swanky · Rating 5 out of 5]

In X Marks a non-fiction book depicting the native perspective of European colonization in America, Scott Richard Lyons depicted the manipulation felt by his people that is never taught in school. While showing a new side of an old situation, he writes in a way where you read this book and you learn of a new perspective, and become informed of information you never knew you cared about or needed to know, until you finish and you can't believe you had gone as long as you did without having read this book. This book addresses Indian identity with and interesting perspective, the signature or x mark of an native person is used as a metaphor for the movement and fluidity of the Indian persons' identity. Lyon creates a fresh perspective of Indian identity in the modern times, and highlights ethnic pride in a beautiful and interesting way.

[Kari Barclay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart, accessible, funny political theory with challenging provocations around nationhood, class, and indigeneity

[Storey Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly compelling and surprisingly hopeful look at definitions of Native American identity and sovereignty. Sometimes the metaphor gets a touch carried away and one can't help but wonder how much his personal family identity influences his decision about the nature of identity. But these are minor quibbles in a remarkably readable and engaging academic work that's honest about a horrible part of American history and what might be done to help rectify it.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An academic who makes clear claims throughout and is actually concerned with praxis? 5/5. A lot of good ideas in here too.

[Brett Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite unexpectedly, this is turning out to be a page-turner. I LOVE it. Saw Scott talk the other week. The writing here is personal and provocative. It is also theoretical and considered. Really enjoyable treatment of identity, literacy, and the liminal space of modernity.

[Rich JCee]

This was written by the porn star, right?