Sign in

Stolen Relations

@stolenrelations.bsky.social
276 followers 13 following 321 posts

Official Bluesky of Stolen Relations: Recovering Stories of Indigenous Enslavement in the Americas. Housed at the Brown Center for Digital Scholarship @browncds.bsky.social; PI Linford Fisher @linford.bsky.social. stolenrelations.org

PostsRepliesMedia
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
(1/4) On this day in history, 296 years ago, a collection of seven representatives of the Cherokee nation traveled to London, England, to meet with King George II and form an alliance referred to as the Articles of Agreement. #Indigenoushistory #Indigenous #Cherokeehistory #Cherokee #America250
141
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
(1/5) Today, we commemorate Native American Day, as observed in California and Nevada since 1998 and 1997 respectively, in recognition of the cultural contributions of Indigenous Americans to state and national identity and culture.
193
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
(1/5) On this day in history, 388 years ago, the Treaty of Hartford was signed to end the War for Connecticut, commonly known as the Pequot War, in which the Pequot tribe of Connecticut experienced massacre at the hands of English colonists and their Native allies.
230
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
(1/5) Today, we commemorate Mayflower Day, the day 406 years ago that 102 pilgrims left Plymouth, England, to travel to the New World, a journey that would take them over three months. #Indigenoushistory #Indigenous #mayflower #mayflowerday #americanhistory #plymouth
111
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
(1/5) On this day in 1713, 313 years ago, the Boston News Letter printed an advertisement calling for the recapture of two Indigenous men, James and Toby, who emancipated themselves from their legal master, Richard Draper, a shopkeeper from Boston.
130
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
(1/5) Yesterday in 1861, 165 years ago, a newspaper advertisement was printed in the Fayetteville Weekly Observer, in Fayetteville, NC, calling for the return of a self-emancipated Multi-Racial Indigenous and Black woman named Rachael to enslavement or servitude under R. McDaniel.
111
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
(1/3) Today, we celebrate Labor Day within the United States and Canada. The day is dedicated to the workers who have formed the infrastructure and culture of the country and the activists within the American Labor Movement who improved life for those workers.
130
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
(1/5) Yesterday 243 years ago, the Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of the US and Great Britain to end the American Revolutionary War. One of its largest questions to resolve was borders and the new nation’s ability to move into the larger North American landmass.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
(1/4) Yesterday 248 years ago, in 1778, the Battle of Rhode Island was fought between the continental and British forces for control of Newport, RI. Though the battle and its aftermath on Aquidneck Island did not change the British control in the region, the battle was otherwise significant.
121
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
(1/5) On this day, 90 years ago, William Sherman, Jr. recounted his experiences as a slave to Federal Writers’ Project field worker. Sherman was one of more than 2,000 stories taken in the 1930s to document the aging population of formerly enslaved persons. stolenrelations.org/referents/59...
100
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
(1/5) In this month we commemorate the 1619 arrival of the first African captives brought to the English colonies in North America. While this is an important moment, the history of Native unfreedom allows us to expand our understanding of slavery’s origins in the English colonies and later, the US.
210
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
(1/4) Yesterday, 309 years ago, the self-emancipation of an unfree man named John Caesar was described in the London Gazette in England. He had left the printing shop of his legal master, Benjamin Wood, on August 11, 1717.
110
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Ben Franklin's World @bfworld.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
What does it mean to decolonize the archive? In episode 449, Linford Fisher and Lorén Spears discuss Stolen Relations, a tribally collaborative digital database documenting the lives of enslaved Indigenous people. @stolenrelations.bsky.social 🎧 www.benfranklinsworld.com/449 #IndigenousHistory
044
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
(1/5) On August 11, 1978, Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, granting Indigenous Americans the right to practice Indigenous spirituality and have access to many of the components of this practice that had been made illegal, including sacred objects, sites, and beliefs.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
(1/4) Since 1994, UNESCO has designated August 9 as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, in order to increase awareness of the common problems experienced by the 500 million individuals considered Indigenous by UNESCO, including marginalization and cultural and linguistic erasure.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
(1/4) Yesterday in 1780, during the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Piqua occurred in the Ohio Country. Described as a battle, the event seems closer to an act of attempted elimination, in which a deserted village and much surrounding land were burned and a Shawnee population forced to relocate.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
(1/4) Two days ago in history, 152 years ago, a Lakota chief referred to as One Stab was freed from his temporary unfreedom under General G. A. Custer. He had been taken captive more than a month earlier, on July 26, 1874.
100
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
(1/4) On this day, 200 years ago, the Northern Star and Warren and Bristol Gazette printed a story of a shocking murder of an Indigenous servant that took place in Illinois.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
(1/4) On this day 68 years ago, the American Indian Movement was founded in Minneapolis, MN, as a grassroots movement towards a revitalization of Native identity and an improvement in quality of life for the local community, through the creation of social services, schools, healthcare, and housing.
221
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
(1/4) Yesterday, 248 years ago, a newspaper article was published describing the self-emancipation of a 30-year old Indigenous cook named André from his enslaver, Maitre Grimperel, a notary in Le Cap, Saint-Domingue. The escape had occurred on July 10, 1778.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
(1/6) July is Disability Pride Month. In this month, we recognize the way that Indigenous individuals’ experiences in unfreedom were shaped by disability and how this identity was weaponized against them and their communities.
120
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
(1/5) Today, many Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which heralded basic human equality and liberty. However, the Declaration and the Revolution were complicated for Native peoples, past and present.
142
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
(1/5) Today marks the 159th commemoration of Canada Day, a Canadian celebration of national pride stemming from the original binding of the three colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a combined dominion under the British Empire.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
(1/5) Today, we observe Mother’s Day. Stolen Relations honors the hundreds of mothers whose stories are housed in our archive and their unique experiences in unfreedom. #mothersday #mothersday2026 #indigenoushistory #mohawk #womenshistory
121
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
(1/5) Today marks the 251th anniversary of the organization of the 1st RI Regiment in 1775, a regiment in the Revolutionary War-era Continental Army that is remarkable for its 1778 recruitment of enslaved Black and Indigenous individuals in exchange for their freedom.
131
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
(1/4) Stolen Relations recognizes that histories of Indigenous unfreedom are connected with global histories of dispossession and assimilation. In honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, we stand in community with all peoples who continue to experience colonialism and denials of sovereignty.
Celebrating AANHPI Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month
111
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
(1/3) Today, PI Linford Fisher @linford.bsky.social is launching his new book, Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in U.S. History with Liveright Books @liveright.bsky.social.
142
Reposted by Stolen Relations
John Carter Brown Library @jcblibrary.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
SAVE THE DATE!! The John Carter Brown Library and Brown University's Department of History will host a launch for Linford D. Fisher's book Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in US History. Join us at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 24 (in person or via Zoom). A reception will follow.
The image contains the cover of Fisher's new book as well as the text, "Book Talk and Discussion Event; Join us on Friday, April 24 for a book launch featuring:

Linford D. Fisher, 
Brown University

Philip Deloria, 
Harvard University 

Paula Peters, 
Mashpee Wampanoag


Sponsored by the
John Carter Brown Library and
the Department of History."
063
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Linford Fisher @linford.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Grateful to @brownhist.bsky.social for producing this book promo video! Turns out it is not easy to summarize a long book in a few short minutes. I was also to sneak in a shoutout to the @stolenrelations.bsky.social project. Out 4.28.26! @liveright.bsky.social @wwnorton.com vimeo.com/1173391102/b...
vimeo.com
Linford Fisher, author, Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in U.S. History
Linford Fisher is Associate Professor of History and Faculty Director for the Center for Digital Scholarship at Brown University. A historian of colonial America…
034
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Linford Fisher @linford.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Really nice to have an early review, and to connect the dots to contemporary events. thehistoricpresent.com/2026/03/09/s...
thehistoricpresent.com
Stealing America, then and now
We at the HP got early access to a new book by the great historian Linford Fisher called Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in U.S. History. It’s available next month (A…
132
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
(1/4) As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, it is important to remember the historical figures who played important roles. This includes the Boston Massacre, 256 years ago today, which is understood as one of the first acts of resistance in the Revolution.
112
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
(1/4) In February, 254 years have passed since William Stewart of CT wrote his intention to sell his indentured Indigenous servant in a letter. This unnamed man had been in servitude under him for over two years. During this time, he had been employed in the active maritime business in the city.
121
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Center for Digital Scholarship, Brown University Library @browncds.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Our team at the Center for Digital Scholarship is thrilled to have won an Excellence Award for Diversity and Inclusion at Brown University! go.brown.edu/excellence 🎉
go.brown.edu
Excellence Awards
The Excellence Awards is a competitive program that celebrates a small group of individuals and teams each year for their exceptional contributions to Brown University and the local community in one o...
052
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Please join Linford Fisher, Stolen Relations PI, for a discussion of his forthcoming book, Stealing America, on February 23 at the Tomaquag Museum #book #booklaunch #tomaquagmuseum
040
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
(1/6) Yesterday marks 179 years since the capture of two Indigenous men from California was mentioned in Edwin Bryant’s narrative of his voyage through California. These two unnamed men were treated entirely differently due to the relative amount that they were perceived to be helping their captors.
100
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
(1/5) Yesterday marks 288 years since the New England Weekly Journal published a story relating to a Pequot servant woman named Katherine Garret in Saybrook, Connecticut. Her legal master was a Reverend named William Worthington, but her unfreedom is not the focus of the news story.
152
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
(1/4) Today, in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving. Conceptualized broadly as a day of gratitude, it holds different meanings for Indigenous communities across the country. For many Native people, it represents a Day of Mourning and recognition of past harms.
172
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Brown History Department @brownhist.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
The hidden history of Indigenous slavery in New England and beyond — @linford.bsky.social appeared on this segment from @ctpublic.bsky.social to discuss the history of slavery in New England and his collaboration with tribal communities in the Northeast on @stolenrelations.bsky.social.
ctpublic.org
The hidden history of Indigenous slavery in New England and beyond
It's a surprising and overlooked story, a blind spot in the narrative of early America: the hidden history of Indigenous slavery. As colonial powers took over Native land, white settlers were enslavin...
01711
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
(1/4) Three days ago, 388 years ago today, Roger Williams wrote a letter to John Winthrop describing an ongoing search for a man named Reprive who was enslaved by Winthrop. Williams had written a month previously stating that Reprive had stayed with nearby friends for two nights.
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
(1/5) Today we observe Red Shawl Day. This is a day of recognition for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Today, in the United States, Indigenous women face violence at more than ten times the national average, and these instances of violence are often unprosecuted.
1156
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Linford Fisher @linford.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Grateful for the good work of @ctpublic.bsky.social in airing this segment, which features the voices of regional tribal members and also mentions the @stolenrelations.bsky.social project. www.ctpublic.org/2025-11-14/i...
ctpublic.org
The hidden history of Indigenous slavery in New England and beyond
It's a surprising and overlooked story, a blind spot in the narrative of early America: the hidden history of Indigenous slavery. As colonial powers took over Native land, white settlers were enslavin...
034
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
(1/4) Tomorrow, 272 years ago, an ad was published in the Pennsylvania Gazette bringing attention to the capture and imprisonment of two free people in jail. The first, an Indigenous man named Thomas, had previously been indentured to Samuel Lippincut in the Jerseys.
120
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
(1/5) Today begins Native American Heritage Month. This is a month to celebrate contemporary Native people and their ancestors in the United States, and the rich cultures, languages, and traditions that have existed and continue to exist on this land.
174
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
(1/4) Two days ago marks 339 years since the presence of an Indigenous servant named Jasper was noted in the will of Henry Jacques of Newburyport, MA. Referred to conflictingly by both “he” and “she,” very little identity-based information is provided about them.
130
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
(1/4) Today marks 317 years since a highly anonymous advertisement for an Indigenous child was printed in the Boston News-Letter. Identified only as an Indigenous boy of 10 years of age, this child was reduced to only his age, which would influence his value to a potential slaveholder.
131
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
(1/4)350 years have passed since an unnamed Indigenous woman was forced to make known her community’s battle plans to the MA militia during King Philip’s War. Earlier in the month, she had been captured in Springfield, likely on Nipmuc land, perhaps indicating the tribal nation to which she belonged
120
Reposted by Stolen Relations
Wampanoag @wampanoag.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!
041
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
(1/5) Today we celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day. Looking at the history of Indigenous enslavement helps us to understand why this is fully appropriate. #IndigenousPeoplesDay #Indigenous #ColumbusDay #Columbus #IndigenousHistory #IndigenousPeople
110
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
(1/4) Three days ago marks 350 years since the General Court of Colonial Virginia ordered the Susquehannah [Susquehannock] people to provide two hostages in the form of children between 4 and 8 years old to Captain William Bird in exchange for maintaining possession of the land they lived on.
131
Stolen Relations @stolenrelations.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
(1/3) The Library of Congress, @librarycongress.bsky.social, which houses Chronicling America, a digital collection of American newspapers, and a manuscript collection, is another example of the range of sources used to find unfree Native people across the historical record. #indigenoushistory
110