#IndigenousLand
WRVM Collection, 1970.0018.020, Gift of Mrs. Charles Reynolds
Muckleshoot Berry Basket with Tumpline, c. 1900
Progressives who insisted on defining wilderness spaces as “pure” places untouched by humans ignored one important fact: Indigenous people had been purposefully shaping supposedly “wild” spaces for thousands of years before colonizers arrived. “Purity of nature” fans chose to ignore the personhood of Indigenous people rather than admit they were wrong.