Welcome to Stolen Relations

Please note: the headings and terms in this database are largely derived from archival documents, which often contain terms, phrases, and biases that reduce, minimize, or alter Native identities and views of the world.

As part of our commitment to decolonize and recontextualize these sources, please consult the additional information displayed at right or via the info-circle icon to better interpret and understand the headings and terms given in the primary sources.

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Between 2.5 and 5 million Native Peoples were enslaved in the Americas between 1492 and the late 19th century.

This site begins to tell their stories

Wawaus – James Printer

Wawaus – James Printer

Wawaus, alias “James-the-Printer” later shortened to “James Printer,” was an important Nipmuc leader who experienced and observed the beginning of a wide range of genocide, from physical to biological to cultural, on his person, community, and livelihood. awaus is most known today for his integral work translating and typesetting the first bible printed in the Americas in 1663, usually referred to as the Eliot Bible or the Indian Bible. He was a skilled scholar, linguist, printer, and eventually community leader, yet like many Indigenous people during the 17th century in New England, was mistreated, abused,  arrested, threatened, falsely imprisoned, and forced into exile… [More]

The Story of Sarah John: Enslavement and Escape in Berwick, Maine

The Story of Sarah John: Enslavement and Escape in Berwick, Maine

The morning of June 17, 1750, dawned cold and wet in Berwick, Maine, as was characteristic of that summer. Sarah John dressed silently and instead of starting the fire or performing her usual morning chores, slipped into the fog and ran, escaping her enslaver’s estate and not looking back.

Biographical Narrative for Pegg

Biographical Narrative for Pegg

Pegg, last name unknown, was a young Indigenous woman around twenty years of age in the year 1708. She served in some undefined unfree capacity (although likely enslaved) in the household of James Berry, a Boston mariner who lived on Black Horse Lane in Boston’s North End. On one Sunday evening in the month of May, she bravely left the home of Berry, with nothing but the clothes on her back. As was common, a week later Berry paid for an advertisement in the Boston News Letter, in an attempt to describe Pegg to the wider public and offer a reward for her return.

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Patricia Rocker (Chappaquiddick Wampanoag, Whale Clan)

Patricia Rocker (Chappaquiddick Wampanoag, Whale Clan)

“This is a quote from someone interviewed as part of the Indigenous Voices section. It could be a couple of sentences long, and might accompany audio or video. If audio or video are unavailable, a photo of the speaker or other relevant subject would work, too.”

Loren Spears (Narragansett)

Loren Spears (Narragansett)

“This is a quote from someone interviewed as part of the Indigenous Voices section. It could be a couple of sentences long, and might accompany audio or video. If audio or video are unavailable, a photo of the speaker or other relevant subject would work, too.”

Paula Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag)

Paula Peters (Mashpee Wampanoag)

“This is a quote from someone interviewed as part of the Indigenous Voices section. It could be a couple of sentences long, and might accompany audio or video. If audio or video are unavailable, a photo of the speaker or other relevant subject would work, too.”