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Hi all! I took a class on Indigenous Histories of North America this term at Carleton and learned there is a lot of misinformation surrounding Indigenous histories. It is important to correct that. Letâs talk a bit about what we didnât learn in history class. A thread:
Did you know that the US govât has a long history of covering up nuclear testing on Indigenous land and Indigenous people? I certainly didn't.
Further, did you know popular media has aided this coverup?
I have a pretty wild - but true - example:
Further, did you know popular media has aided this coverup?
I have a pretty wild - but true - example:
Spongebob. Yeah - the TV show.
Spongebob has covered up nuclear testing.
Chances are I know what youâre thinking - âno way, thatâs quite the stretch. Nuclear testing cover up by Spongebob? I donât see it.â
Spongebob has covered up nuclear testing.
Chances are I know what youâre thinking - âno way, thatâs quite the stretch. Nuclear testing cover up by Spongebob? I donât see it.â
Yeah, I had thought that too: I had an assignment to read âUnsettling SpongeBob and the Legacies of Violence on Bikini Bottomâ by Holly Barker. I was skeptical going in. But hereâs what I learned:
Bikini Bottom is a real place. Seriously, it is! Bikini Bottom - the setting in Spongebob - was inspired by the Bikini Atoll: home to the Bikinian and Marshallese people.
Between 1946 and 1958 the US detonated 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands: 23 in the Bikini Atoll.
But in order for this testing to take place, the US govât needed to clear the atoll. The US forcibly removed hundreds of people who lived there since time immemorial
But in order for this testing to take place, the US govât needed to clear the atoll. The US forcibly removed hundreds of people who lived there since time immemorial
To this day, the islands are still radioactive. The Bikinian and Marshallese people are slowly returning to their home but many places still remain uninhabitable. This is devastating to Indigenous peoples who require their land to practice religion and connect with their people
To emphasize this devastation to Indigenous peoples of the Marshall Islands, here is an excerpt of Marshallese activist Kathy Jetñil-Kijinerâs poem Anointed. Read full poem here: https://www.kathyjetnilkijiner.com/dome-poem-iii-anointed-final-poem-and-video/
So where does Spongebob come into this?
Spongebob is an example of mainstream mediaâs conscious effort to cover up the US nuclear testing history and erase crimes committed against Indigenous people. And here is how Spongebob does it:
Spongebob is an example of mainstream mediaâs conscious effort to cover up the US nuclear testing history and erase crimes committed against Indigenous people. And here is how Spongebob does it:
Spongebob references this history and includes it throughout the entire show without once acknowledging it. This is what has been implanted in the show:
Bikini Bottom is a reference to a crater created by the bomb Bravo, one of the largest nuclear detonations in the world
Bikini Bottom is a reference to a crater created by the bomb Bravo, one of the largest nuclear detonations in the world
Sandy is wearing a suit that is eerily similar to a nuclear hazmat suit (patch has since been changed to an acorn) and Goo Lagoon is in reference to the radioactive material that would wash ashore beaches of Bikini...
...and finally for the most striking and unbelievable part of the show: Spongebob shows real footage of nuclear weapons being detonated at the atoll.
Just search âall explosions in Spongebobâ and you can watch a youtube video of cartoon explosions mixed with actual bomb footage
Just search âall explosions in Spongebobâ and you can watch a youtube video of cartoon explosions mixed with actual bomb footage
The creators of Spongebob knew this history of the Bikinian and Marshallese people and used it as inspiration. While the show may not be openly racist in dialogue and storyline - it is grounded in colonial violence and Indigenous history erasure.
The Bikini Atoll is but one example of nuclear testing on Indigneous land and people - it also is very shocking because of the connection to Spongebob. But there is more to this history and I have some *brief* examples:
From 1944 to the end of the cold war era the US govât conducted a ton of nuclear testing all over the continental US. It ranged from Los Alamos, Nevada to Hanford, Washington to Fairbanks, Alaska and of course the Bikini Atoll and Marshall Islands
The Manhattan Project, a famous nuclear project, conducted testing on land that belongs to the Wanapum and Yakama people in Washington and the Pueblo people from many Nations in New Mexico. People were forced to leave their homes and didnât know if they could ever return.
And legacies of nuclear weapon testing go far beyond just detonation. Uranium mining was conducted on Indigenous land as well. The Navajo people who live in Utah and New Mexico have been living through this:
Between 1944 and 1986, four million tons of uranium were mined from Navajo land. This was controversial. On one hand mining generated much needed income for the Navajo people but on the other, mining led to devastating health effects.
An article from NPR details these health affects and the federal governmentâs inaction to clean this pollution. This article also interviews Maria Welch, a Navajo researcher who has been looking into these health effects associated with uranium mining. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/04/10/473547227/for-the-navajo-nation-uranium-minings-deadly-legacy-lingers
The radiation poisoned the Navajo. While the govât didnât know the effects of radiation at the time, they learned decades ago.
Yet, government help is *just now* aiding the Navajo and itâs hardly enough. Remind anyone of the Flint water crisis?
Yet, government help is *just now* aiding the Navajo and itâs hardly enough. Remind anyone of the Flint water crisis?
The govât didnât just test weapons and mine uranium on Indigenous land. They legitimately tested on Indigenous people. During the cold war the US was in a nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union. Because of strategic cold war location, Alaska became a hub for military testing.
Under the guise of âThyroid function in the Arcticâ the US govât poisoned Alaskan Native people including children with Iodine-131 - a radioactive isotope. This was radiation testing done on Indigenous people without informed consent. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK232532/
Alaskan Natives have deep history of mistreatment at the hands of the fed govât; during WW2 the Aleut people were held in internment camps in Alaska like Japanese Americans were. This was âfor their protectionâ since Aleut people were taken by the Japanese when Alaska was invaded
But the Aleut suffered horrendous treatment at the hands of the fed govât and were exposed to sickness and malnutrition in a supposed effort of protection. In Public Law 100-383 the fed govât requires public schools to teach students about Japanese internment - but not the Aleut.
The Indigenous peoples of Alaska were given monetary compensation for their trauma, and their history was again covered up by the Fed Govât. It is worth reading this law - Title 2 specifically
Link: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-102/pdf/STATUTE-102-Pg903.pdf
Link: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-102/pdf/STATUTE-102-Pg903.pdf
So this was a lot of info. And it was direct and abrupt at times. This was not everything. It was a summary to hit some points that stood out to me. It is worth reading more about Indigenous histories. Where ever you are right now is Indigenous land rich with Indigenous history.
To learn more about the Bikini Atoll read this article published in the LA Times : https://www.latimes.com/projects/marshall-islands-nuclear-testing-sea-level-rise/
It details the nuclear history in the Marshallese Islands and connects the past to current issues about how rising sea levels from climate change could cause a disaster
It details the nuclear history in the Marshallese Islands and connects the past to current issues about how rising sea levels from climate change could cause a disaster
Additionally, follow Indigenous voices on Twitter - Indigenous people are climate leaders and we have so much to learn about their sustainable practices. Here are some accounts @honortheearth @IENearth
Not to mention activism: @NCAI1944
Not to mention activism: @NCAI1944
