"Natives have been told our whole lives - in classrooms, through academic research and in popular myth - that humans first migrated into North America around 12,000 years ago. Native histories consistently disagree, however, asserting that humans were here much earlier than that. Using the phrase time immemorial is a way to push back; it succinctly communicates longevity without quibbling over exact numbers and dates."
"But when overused, it can come off as pandering or sanctimonious, a dog whistle for progressives - which could irritate some readers who might otherwise care about Indigenous sovereignty and suffering. When writers appear to slip from reporting to soapboxing, they risk sacrificing credibility."
""I take it to mean the deepest possible kind of human memory," Harvard history professor Philip J. Deloria (Yankton Dakota descent) told me. "Beyond recorded history, beyond oral tradition, beyond oral memory, into what we call the deep past.""
The phrase time immemorial is frequently used to convey Indigenous presence and longevity while avoiding contested archaeological dates. Western science commonly places first human migration into North America around 12,000 years ago during the Clovis era, but Indigenous histories assert much earlier habitation. Writers use time immemorial to push back against narrow timelines and to honor deep memory traditions. Overreliance on the phrase can read as sanctimonious or performative, potentially alienating readers and weakening credibility. Scholars describe the term as referencing the deepest possible human memory, beyond recorded history and oral tradition.
Read at High Country News
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