Timothy Clarke

Timothy Clarke, “‘Our Hearts and Brains Are Like Paper, We Never Forget’: Indigenous Petitioning and the World Wars”, The Canadian Historical Review Vol. 104, no. 1, (2023), 1-24.

Timothy Clarke’s wonderfully written and meticulously researched article, “‘Our Hearts and Brains Are Like Paper, We Never Forget’: Indigenous Petitioning and the World Wars” is well deserving of the Canadian Historical Association’s Indigenous History Group Article Prize. Clarke intervenes into what he calls the “ForgoVen Warrior” narraWve (where military parWcipaWon is foregrounded as a path towards inclusion in the naWon) and reframes Indigenous poliWcal acWon on their own terms. Clarke accounts for the diversity of Indigenous political organization across regions, alluding to the different concerns, arguments, and tactics of diverse Indigenous Nations across Canada. In focusing on the act of petitioning during the World Wars, Clarke situates Indigenous political action in the long history of Indigenous-British-colonial diplomacy that shaped the foundations of the Canadian nation-state, arguing for continuity rather than change. Importantly, Clarke does not reduce the home front to a single essentializing experience, remaining attentive to the tapestry of political activities engaged in by Indigenous Nations whose lands are claimed by Canada. Clarke adds nuance to a well-studied period in Canadian history, positing that Indigenous people responded to Canadian military conflict in ways that are more complex than loyalty or resistance alone account for.