Join Rachel Cushman (enrolled citizen of the Chinook Indian Nation) for a works-in-progress presentation of her dissertation project's history, methodology, and current state. 

After more than a century of struggle, the Chinook Indian Nation achieved a moment of justice in the form of federal recognition at the close of the Clinton Administration in 2001. The triumph was short-lived. Just eighteen months later, the celebration turned into heartbreak as the Bush Administration, under the influence of another tribe, rescinded our hard-earned acknowledgment. Betrayal by the federal government not only upended my nation's future but also disrupted generations of resistance efforts. The loss of federal recognition encapsulates the Chinook’s enduring struggle with the United States government. This dissertation delves into structures, processes, and critical moments in the Chinook Indian Nation’s determination for justice. What signifies justice has changed over time and generations due to the shifting and permeating nature of settler colonialism; however, the protection of our sovereign authority over our people and place of origin, as well as our Indigenous rights, have been centered. Throughout this decolonial justice journey, we have continued to center and preserve the well-being of the Chinook people, the other-than-human world, and our epistemologies. To illustrate this, I will employ a multimedia mixed-method approach, drawing from historical and contemporary voices within the Chinook Justice Movement. This survivance narrative not only adds to but also reshapes our comprehension of coloniality and Indigenous resistance, making a unique and significant contribution to the fields of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Settler Colonial Studies, Political Science, and others. ​