Sound is a powerful political medium. Sounds can overpower unwanted voices or be employed to express resistance. The absence of sound is equally effective, signalling, for example, a silencing of opposition or the defiance of participation. European colonisers transformed the everyday soundscapes of colonised lands: they introduced different languages, different religions (the sounds of psalms and church bells), and different tools (from the sounds of muskets to the noise of heavy machinery), therewith disrupting and suppressing indigenous musical traditions, sounds, and languages. How can we research the effects of such transformations? (How) did colonisers define their sound politics? And how can a sonic perspective deepen our understanding of the colonial past? By taking a holistic approach to a variety of sources—texts, music, images, objects—that carry traces of sound, my aim is to investigate how a sonic approach can achieve a deepening and reinterpreting of our understanding of the human experience of colonial practices.