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Indigenous Marginalization in Early America

How have representations of indigenous peoples on 17th and 18th century early American maps created Othering?

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Possible Sources:

• Americae Pars, Nunc Virginia Dicta
• Captain John Smith’s Map of Virginia
• The Mapping of New Spain: Indigenous Cartography and the Maps of the Reliciones Geograficas
• Indians of Southern Maryland

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• Physical depiction
• Naming of territory
• Lack of indigenous presence on the map

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These maps demonstrate early American depiction of indigenous people that subsequently contribute to stereotypes that marginalize these groups.

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The conglomerate of physical depiction on maps, the naming of territory by the colonizers, and on the flip side, the lack of indigenous presence on some maps all contribute to the widespread Othering of indigenous people. This Othering positions white colonizers as the dominant, more powerful group and native peoples as the minority with a lack of power. This leads to both stereotyping and marginalization of indigenous people by the dominant, white and European group.

Lylah Uttamsingh | Department of English, University of Maryland

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