From the shores of the Mediterranean, in the land of Palestine, to the forests of Connecticut, two indigenous peoples, the Palestinians and the Indigenous tribes of Connecticut (Pequot, Mohegan, Niantic), are united by a relentless struggle for the place that is theirs; for the place that they call home. Though oceans and histories separate them, both groups have faced violent dispossession, cultural erasure and genocide, and by this, have had their lands and ecosystems devastated.
But despite this, they resist. Both groups remain steadfast, clinging to their unbreakable connection to the land, a bond woven into the very roots and soil that are now under threat. This article, the first in a four-part series, examines the intertwined histories of genocide and resilience in Palestine and Connecticut, setting the stage to explore how environmental degradation is woven into this story of dispossession.
In Palestine, the Nakba (catastrophe) that befell Palestinians in 1948, is when they were expelled from their land by Zionist militias. This catastrophe resulted in the dispossession of an estimated 750,000 refugees from Palestine, and the uprooting of two-thirds of the population and their society, and in this, the State of Israel was violently and brutally created. Today, Palestinians continue to endure genocide. The Palestinians of Gaza are being exterminated at a steady pace by US-made Israeli fighter jets, tanks, drones, quadcopters, bulldozers and machine guns. Now, Northern Gaza is being exterminated, and as Palestinian Ambassador Majed Bamya is calling what is happening in northern Gaza “a genocide within the genocide.” Genocide aims to destroy not only their physical presence, but also their identities as indigenous peoples.
Similarly, in Connecticut, the arrival of European colonists in the 1600s marked a devastating turning point for the Native American tribes who had lived on the land for thousands of years. Initially, indigenous communities like the Pequot, Mohegan and Quinnipiac interacted with the colonists through trade and tentative alliances. However, as colonial settlements expanded, these relationships deteriorated rapidly, and the settlers began to seize land, impose foreign laws and disrupt traditional ways of life.  The conflict escalated violently with events such as the Pequot War of 1637, in which English settlers launched a brutal war to destroy the Pequot people. Hundreds of men, women and children were massacred, and survivors were captured, enslaved or forcibly removed from their lands. This campaign set a brutal precedent for the treatment of Native American tribes in Connecticut, initiating a history of forced displacement and genocide. By the late 1800s, most tribes had lost nearly all of their traditional lands, and indigenous life in Connecticut had been irrevocably changed, leaving descendants today to reclaim what was taken and revive what was nearly extinguished.
Yet, despite this, both Palestinians and Indigenous tribes in Connecticut continue to resist, holding onto their ancestral lands, cultures and ecosystems. This resistance is a testament to their profound and unbreakable connection to the land. As I delve deeper into the environmental degradation that these communities face, it is essential to remember this history of violence and dispossession, and how it has shaped the land that they inhabit but also the resilience that continues to define them. Like the roots of the ancient olive trees in Palestine, their connection to the land remains unbroken and rooted, no matter how violently it is shaken. As Mahmoud Darwish once said, “we have on this land all of that which makes life worth living, April’s hesitation, the aroma of bread at dawn, a woman’s beseeching of men, the writing of Aeschylus, love’s beginning, moss on a stone, mothers standing on a flutes thread, and the invader’s fear of memories.”
dcbias.wordpress.com, can you handle this one? I don’t have the bandwidth.
The author cites Darwish, author of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence- which makes clear that they are talking about Palestinian Arabs. Arabs originate from Arabia. Even common Palestinian names like Al-masri (the Egyptian) refer to other places. Furthermore, we can dig around Connecticut and find the evidence of native tribes. We can dig around the land of Israel and find evidence of Judeans (where the name “Jews” comes from) but I’ve never heard of any archaeological evidence of Palestinian Arabs further back than Judeans. Even the name Palestine only came after the Roman conquest of the land. Lack of indigenous connection doesn’t mean that the rights of Palestinian Arabs shouldn’t be respected. Perhaps their plight would be better served by learning from the CT native tribes who coexist peacefully with their neighbors and whose leadership doesn’t reward violent “resistance” or take innocent children as hostages.
Native Americans did not renege on their peace treaties and they do not endorse a perpetual, violent struggle against Americans.
Native American peace treaties were systematically violated by colonists and the U.S. government, resulting in their violent displacement, genocide, and marginalization. Suggesting that Palestinians “endorse” violence while ignoring the ongoing genocide, illegal settlements, and systemic oppression they face is a blatant distortion of reality. Resistance to oppression is not a choice but a response to injustice. It is the height of hypocrisy to demand submission from the oppressed while excusing the violence of their oppressors. But you’d know that if you picked up a book.
Fatima, It appears from the oped and from your comment that you believe the October 7 attacks on Israel and the taking and holding of hostages is “resistance.” If so, then I think you should check your moral compass.
Please read what I wrote. Native Americans, the colonized people, did not renege on their peace treaties with the colonizer. This is why they do not launch rockets at American cities or maintain militias which attack American civilians. They do not have rallies calling for eliminating America “by any means necessary,” from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They did not join the Axis in WWII to fight against America; they have served in the American armed forces for over 100 years.
If any group has license to speak of oppression, land theft, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, it is the Native Americans. In your account, the indigenous peoples of America’s have every right to wage violent war to decolonize their ancestral land.
We are able to have this exchange here because, yes, a group of oppressed indigenous people accepted that the cycle of blood feud could not be perpetuated. While this is nightmare fuel for post-colonial theorists and revolutionaries who stoke perpetual grievance and praise more violence, most people just want to live in peace. If you want more violence — that is your prerogative. But don’t pretend that you occupy the moral high ground when you claim that only violence, not peace, brings justice.