Episode 13: A Domination Chronicles Lexicon
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Steve discusses key terms used to justify the loss of Indigenous freedom and the rise of the United States as an empire.
Introduction
In this Domination Chronicles podcast, hosts Steven Newcomb draw on his decades of experience to analyze how linguistic definitions reveal a "pattern of domination" used against Indigenous nations. The episode focuses on seven key terms used to justify the loss of Indigenous freedom and the rise of the United States as an empire.
Key Terminology and Definitions
The hosts break down the "underlying code" of colonization through these specific lenses:
Civilization: Defined as the "forcing of a cultural pattern" onto a population where that pattern is foreign.
State: Referencing Max Weber, they define the state as a "relation of men dominating men" where the dominated must submit to authority.
Sovereignty: Characterized by Jonathan Havercroft as an "unjust form of political domination" that restricts human freedom.
Ascendancy: Linked to the 1823 Johnson v. McIntosh ruling, where it was used as a rationale for European "controlling influence" over native inhabitants.
Dominion: Traced to the Latin dominium, signifying political power that grows from property and results in domination.
Property: Described by jurist William Blackstone as "despotic dominion" or the first socially approved "physical domination" over the natural world.
Empire: Identified by George Washington as the goal for the United States, representing a "sovereignty that would expand" in power and territory.
Transcript
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Resources:
Newcomb, Steven T. Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery. Fulcrum Pub, 2008.
D’Errico, Peter P. Federal Anti-Indian Law: The Legal Entrapment of Indigenous Peoples. Paperback edition., Bloomsbury Academic, 2024.
Citation
Steve Newcomb, "Domination Chronicles Episode 13: A Domination Chronicles Lexicon," Domination Chronicles (Podcast), 2026-02-01, https://dominationchronicles.com/e013-a-domination-chronicles-lexicon.
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Play EpsiodeAbout Host
Domination Chronicles Host
Peter d’Errico graduated from Yale Law School in 1968. He was an attorney at Dinébe’iiná Náhiiłna be Agha’diit’ahii, Navajo Legal Services, in Shiprock, 1968-1970.
Steven T. Newcomb (Shawnee/Lenape) has been researching the history of U.S. federal Indian law and policy for four decades.
