The specification as an instrument for colonizing Oceti Sakowin lands

In the 19th century, the United States of America positioned itself for industrial expansion by identifying potential territories for raw materials. Political agreements, such as treaties, formed the initial instruments for converting large swaths of indigenous lands into material territories. As treaty negotiations ended with the 1871 Indian Appropriations Act, new forms of agreements replaced them. Specifications emerged in architecture and construction as authoring tools for remote building sites as well as instruments for further delineating unresolved territories. As settlements filled presumably unoccupied lands, a growing need for lumber appeared. White pine timber offered a solution with sources identified in the northern plains, a region occupied by Oceti Sakowin peoples. A close examination of the treaties and specifications written for white pine extraction and production reveals the specification as a political instrument for colonizing Oceti Sakowin lands.