Whenever I publicly talk about Land Back, someone will inevitably ask me the same question: “What does Land Back really mean?”
More often than not, I will answer with something short like, “it means give the land back.” As to-the-point as that answer is, I know it isn’t the answer they are necessarily looking for. The concept of Land Back, particularly for many non-Indigenous folks, can seem confusing and abstract. People want to know what is being done and what they can do to help the movement.
While it is only in the past couple of years that Land Back has entered national dialogues, Indigenous people have always found ways to assert their jurisdiction despite their displacement and forced alienation from the land. What’s more, some non-Indigenous people have acted as accomplices in the Land Back movement – finding ways to pay reparations and subvert the systems of oppression that have often benefited them, in the spirit of Land Back.
This piece explores four case studies to show concrete ways that Land Back is taking place on the ground. Hopefully these examples can provide some clarity about what Land Back means and looks like, perhaps functioning as a starting point for non-Indigenous people to join the Land Back movement and begin reconciling their relationship to these lands.
[ID: a series of text posts with images on the right-hand side. In order of appearance:
“1. Paying rent. By Riley Yesno. One way non-Indigenous people are materially supporting the Land Back movement is by paying monthly or annual fees to the Indigenous people whose land they occupy. This can be done on an individual basis by setting up a relationship with an Indigenous community’s administration - like Hereditary Chiefs or a reserve band office - though these groups don’t always have structures in place to facilitate Land Back initiatives. In other cases, there are organizations that have been created for the purpose of facilitating action towards Land Back.” Next to this text is a rendering of a house with a black-and-white portrait of an elderly person’s face above it.
“2. Land trusts & taxes. By Riley Yesno. The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust was launched in 2015 by two Indigenous women: Corrina Gould and Johnella LaRose. A land trust is a non-profit organization that aquires land in order to help protect it; Sogorea Te’ is just one of many land trusts on Turtle Island that are returning land to Indigenous communities.” Next to this text is a rendering of a log-based structure with a few plants next to it, with the skyline of a city in the background.
“3. Permits. By Riley Yesno. Land Back may not always look like returning physical land, though. It can also mean that Indigenous people are able to exercise their rights to self-government on their lands and enforce laws and regulations in ways they see fit.” Next to this text is a map of rivers with patches of green and red land. A symbol of a dreamcatcher with a mountain range, a horseback rider holding up a bow, a flying bird, and a rising sun in the middle.
“4. Housing. By Xicotencatl Maher Lopez. Land Back means being able to live safely and well on the land, considering the needs of both present-day people and generations to come. But on and off reserves, housing for Indigenous people is often overcrowded, poorly maintained, and built from shoddy materials. A 2014 study shows that in some Canadian cities, over 90 per cent of those living on the streets are Indigenous. But many Indigenous communities are fighting this crisis by taking housing into their own hands. One example is the One House Many Nations (OHMN) project.” Next to the text is a rendering of a house with a wheelchair ramp leading up to the door. A symbol of a black circle with red center and a white fist holding a black feather is off to the left of the rendering.
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