Displacement and Genocide of Indigenous Peoples

Definition

This term refers to forced removal (displacement) from ancestral lands and systematic extermination (genocide) of native populations by invading forces or colonial powers.

Analogy

Imagine you've built a beautiful sandcastle on the beach, but then someone comes along, destroys your sandcastle to build their own, and pushes you off the beach. That's similar to what happened with displacement and genocide of indigenous peoples.

Related terms

Colonialism: The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Ethnic Cleansing: The mass expulsion or killing of members from a targeted ethnic or religious group in a geographic area.

Trail of Tears: A series of forced relocations during the 1830s of Native Americans tribes from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to areas west that had been designated as Indian Territory.