Data silence in the settler archive: Indigenous femicide, deathscapes and social media

The violence of the settler state is enacted through diverse practices that render Indigenous women’s lives unsafe and has resulted in their deaths. Rarely resulting in media attention, public vigils or community outrage, the unlawful, unexpected and often violent killing of Indigenous women remains silent in the settler archive. Indigenous peoples utilise social media platforms to bring to life the lives and stories of the women who have gone missing and the circumstances and the contexts in which their lives have been taken. In doing so, Indigenous peoples are building a digital record that challenges the silence in the settler archive and maps the ongoing gendered violence of colonialism.