Indigenous Tudors: How did Indigenous peoples encounter the Tudors in the Sixteenth Century?

The Tudor dynasty looms large in our curriculum and broader British history. As well as marking a period of great religious change, the Tudor period was also marked by sustained contact with the Americas. 

Through a series of case studies, this enquiry introduces students to the Indigenous peoples who came, or were forcibly brought, to England in the sixteenth century.  These enquiry-led resources engage students with how this history has been constructed. From an anonymous Inuk man brought to England in 1576 to a possible Tupinambá ruler referred to as a ‘Brazilian King’ at the court of Henry VIII, these resources ask how these stories of encounters have been shared, from whose perspectives these stories of Indigenous travel have been written, and for what purpose accounts were produced.

Using contemporary art, oral histories, and the testimony of present-day descendent communities, as well as more traditional textual sources, this scheme of work gets students to engage with how Indigenous voices and perspectives have been lost or deliberately erased in the recording of these stories. The scheme of works also asks if it is ‘right’ or possible for us to place ourselves in the position of historic, and present day, Indigenous peoples. The line between empathy and ventriloquism is hard for us to navigate effectively and is an important aspect of ethical historical practice for students to tackle.

Each of these lessons has a PowerPoint and relevant task resources, as well as a more in-depth overview guide. These resources could be used as a full scheme of work, or adapted for single lessons or homeworks within pre-existing Tudor topics.

The resources and teacher guide can be downloaded here. 

These resources were created by Nicholas Caldwell, advised by Stephanie Pratt (Crow Creek Dakota and British/American), Caroline Dodds Pennock, and Kerry Apps as part of the Teaching Indigenous Histories and Perspectives (TIHPS) project at the University of Sheffield.

Inspired by the work of Professor Caroline Dodds Pennock, TIHPS is funded by the University of Sheffield’s Knowledge Exchange fund. Project partners include the Schools History Project, the Centre for Indigenous and Settler Colonial Studies, Incomindios UK and King Edward VII School, Sheffield.

For any queries related to these resources, or the project in general please contact Kerry Apps, the TIHPS Research Associate - K.L.Apps@sheffield.ac.uk