Drawing on scientific theories of racial supremacy and efforts by Western nations to develop uncivilized races, preeminent psychologist G. Stanley Hall proposed that the bio-psychological development of children recapitulated the ancient history of mankind. Utilizing Hall’s theory, US youth organizations designed programs for young people to engage corresponding sociological stages. Using archival sources, I document how Hall’s theory, and the “playing Indian” programs established from it, secured settler colonialism by marginalizing Indigenous cultures, governance, laws and ideologies and positioning tribal societies as primitive and childlike relics of the past destined to be replaced by modern man and nation. I then introduce the specter of recapitulation and how these ideas continue to harm Indigenous communities, and exponentially harm Indigenous youth. Finally, using Ermine’s concept of ethical space, I conclude by exploring the space between knowledge systems about youth and presenting possibilities for decolonizing youth development and reimagining youthwork supportive of Indigenous youth futures.

杰出的心理学家G. Stanley Hall借鉴种族至上的科学理论，并为西方国家发展不文明的种族做出了努力，他提出，儿童的生物心理学发展可以概括人类的古代历史。美国青年组织利用霍尔的理论，设计了一些计划，让年轻人参与相应的社会学阶段。通过档案资料，我记录了霍尔的理论以及由此建立的“扮演印第安人”计划如何通过将土著文化，治理，法律和意识形态边缘化并将部落社会定位为注定要被取代的过去的原始和孩子气的文物来确保定居者的殖民主义。由现代人和民族。然后我介绍重现的幽灵以及这些想法如何继续伤害土著社区，并成倍地伤害土著青年。最后，我使用Ermine的道德空间概念，探讨了有关青年的知识体系之间的空间，并提出了非殖民化青年发展和重新构想支持土著青年未来的青年工作的可能性。