(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.

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.

(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.

(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.

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...

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!

(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

(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.

(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

(1/3) Orange Shirt Day, or the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a Canadian day of remembrance for the forced assimilation and cultural genocide experienced by Indigenous children in the Canadian boarding school system. #orangeshirtday #indigenoushistory #boardingschools #history

(1/3) The Rhode Island Historical Society, a historical society based in Providence, RI, which maintains the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center, is another example of the range of sources used to find unfree Native people across the historical record. #history #indigenoushistory #research

(1/3) Tomorrow marks 256 years since Sampson Ezekiel, a multi-racial Indigenous Indentured man, and John Saunders, an Indigenous wage laborer, escaped together from a sloop, in Newport, RI. In doing so, they ended Sampson’s unfreedom under Lillibridge Worth. At the time, they were both about 24.

California and Nevada have designated today as Native American Day, a holiday meant to celebrate the culture of Indigenous Americans and their role in American society. Though not a federal holiday, we ask you to offer this same appreciation to Native people nationally today and every day.

(1/3) Tomorrow marks 318 years since a 23 year old Indigenous man named John Elles escaped servitude under Samuel Wentworth, a Merchant from Boston, MA. Wentworth offered a reward of an unclear amount to anyone who would recapture Elles or provide knowledge on his location leading to his capture.

New York City folks -- come learn more about the @stolenrelations.bsky.social project at the Center for Brooklyn History / Brooklyn Public Library on October 20! Also streaming. www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/cbh...

(1/3) The John Carter Brown Library @jcblibrary.bsky.social, a history and humanities-centered research library of rare books, manuscripts, maps, and other primary sources at Brown University, is another example of the range of sources used to find unfree Native people across the historical record.

(1/3) Yesterday marks 357 years since an Indigenous man named Popelo was sold to Richard Stafford in Hamilton, Bermuda, by the commander of the Port Royall in Jamaica, Robert Searles, for the term of 99 years, or functionally, the rest of Popelo’s life.

(1/3) America’s Historical Newspapers through Readex, a digital repository (behind a paywall) for thousands of newspaper titles spanning from the late 17th century to the 20th, is an example of a source used to find unfree Native people across the historical record.

(1/3) Today marks 172 years since a woman named Lucy escaped unfreedom under William Taylor, of Cedar Lake, Colorado, with a small unnamed boy, who could have been her son, and an American horse from the same neighborhood that her enslaver lived in. Taylor offered $25 for her capture.

Alaska Natives, barred from king salmon fishing, fight for their right to manage the Yukon River — Associate Professor of History and Environment and Society @brdemuth.bsky.social provided commentary in this article from @prismreports.org.

(1/3) Happy Labor Day! Today, as you celebrate the American Labor Movement and all of the rights and privileges brought to Americans through their activism, also remember the way that the labor of Indigenous and Black individuals has been weaponized for hundreds of years throughout history.

(1/3) Today, 304 years ago, a record of the will of Samuel Lippincott, a landowner in Burlington County, NJ, included reference to two Indigenous people of unstated gender and age. They are also not referred to by name or by community, but left deliberately without these human identifiers.

(1/3) Stolen Relations is proud to be partnering with the Tomaquag Museum to produce exhibits on Indigenous unfreedom and its effects on Indigenous people in the modern world. They will be coming to the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter, RI, and to Brown University in Providence, RI in the near future.

(1/3) Today marks 225 years since an advertisement was printed in the Columbian Courier calling for the return of Jonathan Soconish, an Indigenous youth of 17 years of age, who chose to emancipate himself from an apprenticeship under Philip Cory of Tiverton, RI.

(1/3) Yesterday, 257 years ago, a Native person in servitude made the choice to emancipate himself from his legal master in Great-Neck, NY. This unfree man was known to go by both Stephen and Pompey. This could be indicative of one of these names having been imposed on him while unfree.

(1/3) Viewers of any of the Indigenous Voices videos on the Stolen Relations website may notice that each video begins with a beautiful piece of music, during which time the video’s speaker and subject are introduced.

(1/3) Today, 153 years ago, the Sacramento Daily Union reported that Lou Davis, an Indigenous servant, was committed to trial the day before for an act of resistance against General James M. Allen, the man to whom she was unwillingly bound in servitude.

(1/5) The Stolen Relations project is committed to supporting the work of Indigenous artists. We have commissioned half a dozen pieces to date and are actively seeking additional ones.

Collaborative project yields new digital archive on hidden history of Indigenous enslavement — 'News from Brown' reports on Stolen Relations, a public database that reveals the stories of thousands of Native people forced into servitude across the Americas.

(1/3) Today marks 355 years since an Indigenous man named Populo was sold by Charles Hayward, a ship commander from London, to Robert Powell, a cooper from the Sommer Islands. Populo’s servitude was described as limited in time, but he would not survive another 99 years to see freedom.

Scottish friends of @stolenrelations.bsky.social will be interested in this event!

Black and Native peoples lived side by side in slavery on Long Island, New York. And on occasion they also sought freedom together. Read the story of Toney and Jack written by Freedom Seeker intern and Beinecke scholar Amanda Grant, here: freedom-seekers.org/story/toney-...

(1/3) Stolen Relations is proud to be related with and connected to many other academic projects centering on experiences of Indigeneity and unfreedom. Under Related Websites and Projects on stolenrelations.org/related-webs..., a selection of these projects are linked.

(1/3) Yesterday marked 204 years since a man named William Clarke appeared in court to attempt to receive emancipation from Sir Simon Haughton Clarke’s Fathog quarter estate in Jamaica. He was described in outdated language by the court as Black and Multiracial.

(1/2) A new blog post has been published on the Stolen Relations blog at stolenrelations.org/blog/stolen-relations-launch-symposium-summary-pictures-and-videos/! With photos and videos of the May launch symposium included in this post, the content from this symposium is now available to all.

(1/3) In addition to being a site through which primary sources are made available, Stolen Relations also acts as a repository for essays about subjects related to Indigenous unfreedom, including broad overviews; specific forms of unfreedom; freedom and emancipation; and reconnection and resilience.

(1/3) As of three days from now, 171 years will have passed since an enslaved girl named Fanny’s self-emancipation from Julia Swailer in Gretna, LA, was advertised. Fanny was noted to have been previously known as “Indian Fanny,” but the paper provided no tribal affiliation.

(1/3) Stolen Relations has been launched for a month! Thanks to the hard work of hundreds of partners and researchers, stolenrelations.org currently has records of upwards of 7,000 individuals and many pieces of art and storytelling that help to flesh out the stories of unfree Indigenous people.

(1/3) Three days ago marks 253 years since George Poheag, an Indigenous child referred to as a “servant boy” made the choice to emancipate himself from Daniel Folger, from on board the “Schooner Packet” at Long Wharf, Boston. George Poheag, at the time of his self-emancipation, was between 13 and 14

Collaborative project yields new digital archive on hidden history of Indigenous enslavement — 'News from Brown' reports on Stolen Relations, a public database that reveals the stories of thousands of Native people forced into servitude across the Americas.

Historians at Brown University and Tribal members from across New England are launching a project they hope will bring awareness to the historic enslavement of Indigenous people in North America.

(1/3) Stolen Relations has officially launched at stolenrelations.org! Thank you to all who attended our launch! This week, we are highlighting the timeline feature of the website. This feature aims to provide a context to colonial and enslavement history, built for those without prior knowledge.

Congratulations to @stolenrelations.bsky.social on the launch of their impressive new project and website at www.stolenrelations.org

A new website illuminates the history of Indigenous enslavement in New England — @ripbs-tpr.bsky.social reports that @stolenrelations.bsky.social, a vast digital repository led by researchers and librarians at Brown University, launched May 10 during a symposium at Brown.

(1/3) Sunday marks 218 years since an Indigenous, multi-racial girl whose name was once known emancipated herself from the control of the overseers in Dudley, MA, including John Healy and Lemuel Corbin, the “Guardians of Dudley Indians.” She was pregnant at the time of her self-emancipation.