Domination Chronicles: Where Are We Now?

Listen to Episode 22 of Domination Chronicles: “Where Are We Now? Why Domination Is the Beginning of the Conversation, Not the End.”

The work of the Indigenous Law Institute has long focused on a central problem: the legal and religious language used to normalize empire, subjugation, and domination over Original Nations and Peoples. Episode 22 of Domination Chronicles is a timely entry point into that work because Steven T. Newcomb and Peter d’Errico step back from slogans and ask what the word “domination” actually requires us to study.

For readers coming from the Indigenous Law Institute, the episode connects directly with ILI’s long-running examination of the empire-domination model, the 1493 papal bull Inter Caetera, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1823 decision in Johnson v. M’Intosh. Those sources are not merely historical background. They helped shape a legal vocabulary in which “discovery,” “dominion,” “conquest,” and “sovereignty” have been used to conceal claims of control over Indigenous nations.

In the episode, Newcomb and d’Errico explain why naming the “Doctrine of Discovery” is only the beginning. The deeper issue is the claimed right of domination that the phrase can hide. That distinction matters for anyone trying to understand federal Indian law, treaty language, land rights, and the continuing effort to restore relations grounded in respect rather than imposed authority.

The conversation is also useful for listeners who want a clear orientation to the broader Domination Chronicles project. Episode 22 links the show’s careful work on language with earlier discussions such as Episode 8 on words and meanings and Episode 21 on “tribal sovereignty”. Together, these episodes show why careful attention to words is essential when those words carry centuries of legal and religious power.

Start with Episode 22 if you want to understand where the conversation stands now and why the work cannot stop at familiar labels.

Listen now at Domination Chronicles.