Land Back: A Movement About Respect

Written By: Grace Mintun

November 15, 2024

Via Unsplash

While we go into the Thanksgiving season, let’s remember that the land we celebrate “finding” was stolen from those it belonged to. For decades, Native people have been saying that this stolen land should be given back to them in a movement called Land Back. What is Land Back? “The Land Back movement advocates for a transfer of decision-making power over land to Indigenous communities. The movement does not ask current residents to vacate their homes but maintains that Indigenous governance is possible, sustainable, and preferred for public lands”

Land Back isn't just about land and property but also about the whole institution of owning land and how that affects the economy, food security, and governance. How that land is treated and handled is also a tenet of the Land Back movement. A portion of the land back movement is land rehabilitation. “Land rehabilitation is a process of restoration to bring an area… back to its natural state after it has been damaged or degraded [often in man-made (i.e., agricultural or industrial) areas], making it safe for [not only] wildlife and flora, [but] humans [as well].” In order to rehabilitate the land, they can plant local flora and fauna, cycle crops so the same nutrients are not being depleted in the soil, and hunt for only what they need instead of relying on mass animal farms that cause food waste.

                Via Unsplash

Indigenous people had their land forcibly taken from them. When this happened, they also lost access to farming, fishing, and hunting grounds, meaning they lost access to food sources. “To Europeans, land was something that could be bought, sold, and owned by an individual. Native people did not see land this way. Because of this, Native groups would exchange land. [But] in their minds, [they] had only given permission to use the[se] lands.” This left them with the only option of relying on governments around them to provide their food. Their form of exchange for goods and services up until this point didn't include money. They used a bartering system, or some tribes used beads called Wampum, which were also used for written language, adornment for ceremonies, and as a way to trade. Settlers took advantage of their way of bartering to not give money and then proceeded to take away their food, housing, and security - all by taking their land. “Settler colonialism has resulted in genocide, poverty, addiction, and much more harm to Native nations, which have the highest poverty rate among minorities…. Two Bulls states that the root of their ills comes from land theft; therefore, the solution is giving land back.”

Land back also comes with Indigenous Peoples wanting to self-govern and have more of a say about their own land, the choices made about it, and their people. “For Indigenous Peoples, the return to self-government is considered…critical to communities that want to contribute to and participate in the decisions that affect their lives.” “Many Native Americans are fighting for greater freedom with respect to their tribal lands and are questioning and challenging the broken promises of the federal government with respect to property rights and access to ancestral resources.”

One of the most googled phrases of Land Back is, “Do I have to move?” I find this to be hypocritical, as those who first came to the US forcefully pushed out Native peoples and violently took their land; now, descendants of those same settlers are the ones worried about losing where they live. Native peoples, for the most part, aren’t pushing for mass displacement of those currently inhabiting these areas, but I find this such a reactive take on a much bigger issue. The whole feeling of, “You can’t take back what I took from you, that’s stealing!” reminds me of toddlers on a playground fighting over a toy. Unfortunately, with this issue, there are no adults (the US government) who are stepping up to help figure out the issue and so we are all left to our own devices to make our own protests, movements, and aid.

“How can something that only the Creator himself can actually give, be given back, or returned; when NO human being has the ability to do [be given back]?”

— Spring Morning of Shawnee Eagle Clan

As someone with no Indigenous blood in my veins, I wanted to turn to two people who were Indigenous to answer some of the questions I had about Land Back. We, as settlers, can advocate for them in spaces where their voices are not currently heard under our current laws and regulations, but it is up to us to push for THEM to be in those spaces. Until those spaces can be found, we need to give them our platforms to answer things authentically in their voices. Of course, as with every human being, all Indigenous people may also have differing opinions on what to do, say, and proceed with Land Back, but as Whispering Dove has said, “there is always someone who will disagree…It’s honestly difficult to speak for an entire community when each person will have their own opinion and each tribe will have their own way of doing things but on a broader level there are a lot of areas that we as a community largely agree on so I was trying to more so to focus on that”. The only thing we can do is try to hear each other out and try to come to an understanding. The best place to find answers is going straight to the source, so let’s start there, shall we?

When asked about advice or wisdom that they would share about Land Back, Spring Morning of Shawnee Eagle Clan said this:

“The basic wisdom/idea I have to offer is simple. Unlike the land that remains and/or would be included in the land given back, the Indigenous people have sustained life and worth against all odds. The land has been used over and over. Now, in certain areas, only desert, or red, hard, barren land remains. How beneficial or conducive is this of land to any people or group? Nothing can be raised on it, but it has survived. Like the soil, regardless of being beneficial or not, is still here! The people of Turtle Island, no matter how plentiful or sparse, any specific tribe; maybe, they too, are still here! We, like the land, no matter how rich, abundant, hard, or "useless", are still here. As a proud Shawnee woman, who the Land Back will in no way help or harm, have but one question that ALL people should think about and give serious consideration: How can something that only the Creator himself can actually give, be given back, or returned; when NO human being has the ability to do [be given back]?”

Whispering Dove of Shawnee Wolf Clan said this about Land Back as well:

“We can’t give what only the Creator can give, but we can protect our environment and find ways to bring life back, not only to our soil, but also to our communities. Land is sacred, and the misuse of it needs to be seriously addressed. We, as humans, have a responsibility to our home, whether you call it Turtle Island or something else. For me personally, I don’t see the Land Back movement as a mass displacement issue; there are those who benefit from twisting the narrative that way and to them, I ask: Why would ‘we’, Indigenous people, cause the same harm that was done to our ancestors and us [to others]? In my mind this isn’t about revenge, it’s about healing. It’s a call to responsibility and of community… America has become such a wasteful country; this waste is killing its citizens and the land… Let’s go back to the ways of the experts who have been one with the planet for generations… Revive the ideals of community, helping one another, and caring for each other alongside the land we call home. The Land Back movement is about dismantling colonial infrastructures that do more harm than good while also protecting our ecosystem. ‘We’, as the Indigenous inhabitants of Turtle Island, know how fundamentally important it is to view ourselves as a part of the ecosystem, a part of nature; and not to separate ourselves with a false sense of superiority. Separation with a foundation of superiority only spreads hate, discrimination, ignorance, and trauma; and we as the human race need to do everything we can to make sure going forward we create a safe, respectful, ethical, and not just sustainable, but [a] renewable future for ALL.

This is not history repeating itself, where one group is demanding land from another. This is about giving land that isn’t in use back to Indigenous communities… For the government it’s about ownership, for Native people it’s about honor. This is about making a positive change, paving the way for a brighter future [for everyone].

I think it’s safe to say as a whole, we as the Indigenous population, would never stand behind or demand anything even remotely close to ethnic cleansing, or genocide of any kind. Unfortunately, insinuating or twisting the Land Back movement to fit those appalling ideals is the only way the opposing side can try to dismiss us…

Land Back is about giving the power back to the people, it’s about [the] communal responsibility we all have to the land… I don’t personally have an issue with private property, and I, in fact, support it… We all have equal stake and equal say. No more pointing fingers at ‘who’s responsible’ but rather taking the responsibility on ourselves; as a community helping one another take care of the land that provides for us.

There are some that are getting triggered as if this is some type of a call for a mass eviction notice, but in truth it’s a call to coexist respectfully with all life. Yes, our original contracts have been broken many times by many governments, institutions, and individuals, but we will not stoop to do the same. We are simply demanding respect for our land, for Turtle Island as a whole, for other Indigenous lands, for our history, and the history of any other indigenous groups all over the world. This is about reminding people WE ARE HERE, WE HAVE A VOICE, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE UP SPACE, OUR LIVES- HISTORY- CULTURE MATTER. This is a wake-up call, we as a community, and the human race, need to take care of our home if we want to have any chance of a brighter future.”

Thankfully, things are slowly getting better. Certainly not at the pace that it should or Indigenous peoples deserve, but moving forward nonetheless. In March of this year, “California's Yurok Tribe, which had 90% of its territory taken from it during the gold rush of the mid-1800s, will be getting a slice of its land back to serve as a new gateway to Redwood national and state parks.”

“We are simply demanding respect for our land, for Turtle Island as a whole, for other Indigenous lands, for our history, and the history of any other indigenous groups all over the world. This is about reminding people WE ARE HERE, WE HAVE A VOICE, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE UP SPACE, OUR LIVES- HISTORY- CULTURE MATTER. This is a wake-up call, we as a community, and the human race, need to take care of our home if we want to have any chance of a brighter future.”

— Whispering Dove of Shawnee Wolf Clan