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The Cardinal Edge

Program/Event

Undergraduate Research Showcase Spring 2025

Abstract

In 17th-century North America, a number of world powers began extensive colonial efforts to stake a claim on territories and their resources. Settler colonialism in the United States followed a distinct track to the west compared to that which occurred in the east following this initial land-grab. Because infrastructure preceded some formal, highly concentrated settlement in the western United States, this region experienced the oppression of settler colonialism in distinct manifestations. Namely, the physical imposition of construction projects such as dams established early dynamics of differential power and control between the federal government and the diverse array of Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the American West. Today, experts are questioning the utility of large federal dams amid worsening conditions of climate change, as patterns of greater incidence and severity of extreme weather events threaten aging dam infrastructure. Indigenous peoples and other historically disadvantaged subgroups continue to face the overwhelming majority of the consequences of dam projects despite enduring centuries of exclusion from decision-making (e.g., from dam construction efforts). This research proposal will culminate in an analysis of Indigenous inclusion in environmental governance through the lens of dams. It asks the following question: How have Indigenous peoples been included in or excluded from the development of dam construction and deconstruction projects throughout the history of the American West? To answer this question, this exploration of modern settler colonialism will derive conclusions from four case studies: the Dalles Dam, the Klamath River dams (which no longer exist), the Grand Coulee Dam, and the Glen Canyon Dam. The analysis for this senior capstone project will rely on pre-existing materials in archival collections, like oral histories and government documents, as well as reports summarizing modern Indigenous involvement in decision-making processes.

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