Indigenous Justice in Early America

Join us to watch a recorded conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Nicole Eustace, who discussed her award-winning book Covered With Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America.

Eustace explores a 1722 incident in which two white fur traders attacked an Indigenous hunter near Conestoga, Pennsylvania—an act that sparked criminal investigations and tense cross-cultural negotiations. The case raised urgent questions about justice, diplomacy, and the fragile relationships between colonists and Indigenous nations.

In the recording, Eustace reconstructs the crime and its aftermath, showing how fears of war, differing legal traditions, and competing ideas of “civility” shaped the response. After the viewing, we’ll hold an open discussion about the history, themes, and relevance of the book.