The Land Back Movement's Momentum
Successes in the Land Sovereignty Movement in North America
“Grassroots and land-based struggles characterize most of Native environmentalism. We are nations of people with distinct land areas, and our leadership and direction emerge from the land up.”—Winona LaDuke, All Our Relations
The foundations of the United States of America are built on a multitude of original sins. The most egregious being the enslavement of Africans that underpinned the original wealth of this new nation and the apocalyptic-level attempt to erase and eradicate Indigenous peoples by way of violent land theft.
The concepts of capitalism brought by the Europeans imposed the idea that land and nature existed for the sole purpose of serving humans. This perspective of land as private property came with settler colonialism which ran counter to Indigenous peoples' spiritual beliefs rooted in the interconnectedness between all of nature and human beings. Nonetheless, settler colonizers justified the violence and attempt at extermination of Indigenous peoples based on the justification of "Manifest Destiny," or the doctrine that European western expansion was, essentially pre-ordained by God.
Yet through centuries of attempts at erasure, eradication, and gaslighting of Indigenous peoples, there has always been resistance. So much of that resistance has been through land sovereignty movements that, in recent years, have begun to build momentum and recently have achieved some important successes.
Indigenous Land Sovereignty Movements
Land sovereignty movements have a long legacy, and most recently it has emerged through the vibrant and politically potent LANDBACK movement launched by the NDN Collective and through countless small-scale Land Back efforts throughout North America.
The goal is simple: return traditional Indigenous lands back to their original stewards. While it's a seemingly simple ask, the concept has even more spiritual meaning. The Sogorea Te' Land Trust, an Indigenous women-led organization seeking to rematriate Lisjan (Ohlone) land has a mission rooted in healing and transforming "the legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy and to do the work our ancestors and future generations are calling us to do."
So, this returning of the land—or rematriation of the land—is both literal and spiritual. It is a return to the spiritual environmental stewardship that is rooted in regenerative practices, in interconnectedness between humans and nature, and in justice in many senses.
"[M]ost or perhaps all Native Americans see the entire universe as being alive—that is, as having movement and an ability to act," wrote the late scholar, poet, and activist, Jack D. Forbes. "But more than that, indigenous Americans tend to see this living world as a fantastic and beautiful creation engendering extremely powerful feelings of gratitude and indebtedness, obliging us to behave as if we are related to one another. An overriding characteristic of Native North American religion is that of gratitude, a feeling of overwhelming love and thankfulness for the gifts of the Creator and the earth/universe."
This is why the Land Back movement is not just a matter of racial and social justice, it is also about climate justice as traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices hold the key to living harmoniously with the gift that is the earth.
Note: We wrote about this in an issue a few months back.
Successes of the Land Back Movement
While there is still so much to fight for, the Land Back movement and Indigenous peoples around North America have fought for and won some of these fights for their land. Here are some recent examples:
In 2020, a law was passed by Congress transferring 18,000 acres of bison range in Northwest Montana from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service back to the Salish and Kootenai tribes. This move by the Biden Administration shows a shift in the U.S. government's commitment to keeping to the promises within the original treaties. (NPR)
Over the past decade, the Yurok Tribe in Northern California has steadily worked to regain portions of their traditional land, growing from 5,000 acres to the 70,000 acres they currently control now (keep in mind their traditional lands make up nearly a million acres). Much of this was regained through direct purchases by the tribe versus direct transfers. However, recently in April 2022, California North Coast Congressmember, Jared Huffman introduced the bill, "Yurok Lands Act" which would return a little less than 1,300 acres of federally controlled land back to the Yurok tribe. While it's a small amount considering the Yurok Tribe's territory was once nearly a million acres, it does show a shift of transferring public lands back to Native peoples. (North Coast Journal)
In December 2021, 523 acres of coastal redwood forestland in Mendocino County was returned to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council--a consortium of ten tribes from the region working together to restore traditional lands. By working with Save the Redwoods League for two years, they were able to increase their protected lands from 4,008 to 4,531 acres total. The land was designated as Tc’ih-Léh-Dûñ (meaning “Fish Run Place” in Sinkyone language). This is an example of the needs for partnerships between tribes and environmental non-profits that see the Land Back movement as essential to climate justice work. (Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council)
These are but a few examples of a number of ways tribes are working to purchase or advocate for the return of federally-owned public lands back to Indigenous peoples. And there are many more here which hopefully signals a groundswell of Land Back achievements.
Of course, as always, there are roadblocks. One of which was put in place by none other than the Supreme Court in the late June announcements by limiting the scope of the historic 2020 decision of McGirt v. Oklahoma that affirmed tribal sovereignty and the upholding of treaty rights. This blow to Native sovereignty is an example that the Land Back and Indigenous sovereignty movement is still a steep hill to climb.
Evolution and Future of the Land Back Movement
The Land Back movement is a powerful one that has catalyzed a movement not just among Indigenous people, but has extended to Black Americans.
After the end of slavery, Black Americans accumulated up to around 20 million acres of farmland and made up about 14% of farmers in America. However, in the decades since, outright discrimination and systemic racism through government policies designed to favor White farmers have dwindled that percentage to 1.4%. But recent shifts in politics have sought to right this wrong. In 2021, "The Black Farmers Bill" was introduced to Congress to provide more oversight in the USDA and to provide $8 million a year to grant farmland to Black farmers and $5 billion would go to Black farmers who lost over 90% of their land over the last century. (Read this Mother Jones story for more detail)
And recently, a stretch of Southern California beach, called Bruce's Beach, was returned to the descendants of the previous owners (CNN). Purchased in 1912 by Charles and Willa Bruce, the resort was a haven for Black beachgoers. Throughout the years of operation, the Bruces experienced harassment from White neighbors and the ku klux klan and then in 1924 the city took the land through eminent domain to turn it into a park. For years, the Bruce's descendants have fought for the property to be returned (now worth ~$20M). Recent California legislation geared towards reparations that led to Los Angeles County voting to return the stolen property back to their rightful owners who will now receive rent payments from the county.
Join the Movement
These successes are happening all around North America and it's exciting that shows there is movement and an increased acknowledgment on the part of the federal government that public lands are actually Indigenous lands. The support is also increasing amongst settler colonizers who are becoming allies to the Land Back movement.
In their September/October 2020 Land Back issue, Briarpatch magazine gave four case studies for how to participate in the Land Back movement that provide guidance on how settlers can be involved.
One of the greatest ways we can support the movement is to learn about the Indigenous peoples of the region--both the history of the people whose land was stolen from them as well as Indigenous people and their movements today. Join their movements and listen to their needs and wants. Land Back support is very localized and every situation depends on where you are.
Some examples of support are paying rent to the tribes whose land you occupy. This can come in the form of direct donations to the tribe itself. Real Rent Duwamish (the tribe in the region currently called Seattle) makes it easy to make monthly rental payments. The other is to donate to and support Indigenous land trusts which are Indigenous owned and run non-profit organizations that raise funds to acquire land to protect it. Sogorea Te' Land Trust is a well known example of an organization that does this work on behalf of the Lisjan/Ohlone people (in what is currently called the San Francisco Bay Area). These land trusts are common amongst tribes that aren't federally recognized as they don't receive funds for the government.
And last, talk about the Land Back movement with your community. Settler colonizers have not been brought up to understand or learn about true Indigenous history (which includes the European attempts to destroy Indigenous people and cultures) and Indigenous peoples today.
The successes of the Land Back movement are exciting. While sometimes the bits and pieces returned to Indigneous peoples can feel like small successes, there does seem to be momentum that could lead to even more transformative change.
Here are some great resources to start with:
Native-Land.ca -- this website gives you tools to begin learning about the peoples on whose land you live, work, and play
Return the National Parks Back to Tribes by David Treuer (The Atlantic, May 2021)