What is #LandBack?

As a social media hashtag, #LandBack began only recently, but its demands are rooted in thousands of years of Indigenous ways of life. According to the NDN Collective’s manifesto, Land Back entails the “reclamation of everything stolen” from Indigenous peoples, including land, language, ceremony, medicines, and kinship. In short, it advocates for the decision making processes—such as what is allowed to happen on land—to be returned back to the tribes and nations who are native to said land.

Why should non-Indigenous people care?

In addition to just being the right thing to do as a means of beginning to redress historical wrongs and injustices done to Indigenous peoples, issues over land use are at the fore of combating global climate change.

Globally, Indigenous people make up roughly 5% of the population yet protect nearly 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. Indigenous peoples have, since time immemorial, adapted with, learned from, and stewarded lands. In California, this is most evident in the proliferation of recent wildfire catastrophes, which were long prevented by a carefully managed system of planned burns.

Put simply, Land Back is for Indigenous people, but it is also for the betterment of us all and the protection of our shared environment.

Is this a widespread movement?

Various #LandBack movements led by Indigenous peoples are occurring throughout what is now considered California, the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world. The #NoDAPL protests at Standing Rock are likely the most well known contemporary example. Although by no means a complete list, below are some ongoing efforts similar to the struggle to Protect Puvungna that are likewise engaged in the protection of sacred sites or other methods of regaining access and control to dispossessed Indigenous land:

Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy

Sogorea Te’ Land Trust

Real Rent Duwamish

Pu'uhonua o Pu'uhuluhulu Maunakea

Protect Juristac

Where might I find some good sources to learn more?

There are always new sources of knowledge being produced about Land Back, decolonization, and the connection between Indigenous rights and environmental issues. Below are some great places to start:

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States - Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock - Dina Gilio-Whitaker

“California tribe becomes the first to manage land with National Park Service”

“Back to the Land: The Esselen Tribe, formerly landless, was once declared extinct” - Sara Rubin

“Decolonization is not a metaphor” - Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang

“Governor Newsom announces historic land return effort on the 5th anniversary of California’s apology to Native Americans”

“‘It’s justice for the Tribe’: Kootenai Tribe of Idaho restores what used to be a landfill” - Idaho Capital Sun

“Our Sacred Waters: Theorizing Kuuyam as a Decolonial Possibility” - Charles Sepulveda

“Reflections on Justice and Restoring Rights: Relationships Between People and Place” - Angela Mooney D’Arcy

“Return the National Parks to the Tribes” - David Treuer

“Status and Needs of Unrecognized and Terminated California Indian Tribes”

“The Land Back Issue” - Briarpatch Magazine

“‘The Only Way to Save the Land is to Give It Back’: A Critique of Settler Conservationism” - Majerle Lister

The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth - The Red Nation

Who can Identify as a Native American? - PBS Origins

“Why so many California Indians lack the federal recognition given to other Native Americans” - Olivia M. Chilcote