History Memes

https://time.com/5562258/indigenous-environmental-justice/

Spence points out that the first so-called wilderness areas that had been deemed in need of preserving were not only and in actuality Indigenous-occupied landscapes when the first national parks were established, but also that an uninhabited wilderness had to first be created. He examines the creation of Yellowstone, Glacier and Yosemite National Parks in particular to illustrate the way the myth of uninhabited virgin wilderness has for more than a century obscured a history of Native land dispossession in the name of preservation and conservation and serves as the foundation of the environmental movement.

https://aicago.org/indigenous-stewardship-and-the-legacy-of-national-parks-on-tribal-lands/

The establishment of national parks often came at a significant cost to Indigenous communities. Parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon were created through the forced removal of Native peoples who had lived there for millennia. Treaties were ignored, sacred sites were taken, and traditional practices such as hunting, fishing, and ceremonies were outlawed. This exclusion set the stage for a century-long struggle for recognition and rights.

I hate being that guy who rains on every parade but I have VERY complicated feelings about the national parks