The accident of settler colonialism: Geoffrey L. Hudson, Darrel Manitowabi, ‘Accidental History and Manitoulin Island, ca. 1830–1960: Indigenous and Settler Experience’, in Megan J. Davies, Geoffrey L. Hudson (eds), An Accidental History of Canada, McGill Queen’s University Press, 2024 | settler colonial studies blog

The accident of settler colonialism: Geoffrey L. Hudson, Darrel Manitowabi, ‘Accidental History and Manitoulin Island, ca. 1830–1960: Indigenous and Settler Experience’, in Megan J. Davies, Geoffrey L. Hudson (eds), An Accidental History of Canada, McGill Queen’s University Press, 2024

23Jan25

Excerpt: Settler colonization since the early nineteenth century on Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron provided the foundation for two significantly dif-ferent yet coexisting perspectives on accidents and their possible meanings. Settler and Indigenous peoples drowned in watercraft accidents, fell through the ice, experienced fires, and died or were injured in preparation for or during hunting. For Indigenous peoples, historical narratives embody stories of the lands and waters of Manitoulin Island and social relations with one another, and in turn the concept of an accident is a by-product of these relationships. With settler colonialism, the causes of accidents gradually changed with the advent of the church, colonial laws, and alcohol. For settlers, the memory of accidents, along with other significant family and community events, was central to the colonial project of turning settlers into settler-descendants, connecting newcomers to Manitoulin Island’s agricultural spaces, the waters, and the forests. Settlers came, experienced accidents and misfortune, and persevered.

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