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Land Back (or #LandBack) is a campaign by
Indigenous people in the United States and
in Canada that seeks to re-establish
Indigenous sovereignty
Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the Indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the rights over their land (includ ...
- notably, the political and economic control of lands in what is now the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
to the peoples who have historically occupied them prior to colonization.
Description
Land Back is a movement that aims to re-establish Indigenous political authority over territories Indigenous tribes and activist groups assert belong to them by treaty rights. Scholars from the Indigenous-run Yellowhead Institute at
Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
describe Land Back as a process of "reclaiming Indigenous jurisdiction: breathing life into rights and responsibilities."
In addition to the transfer of deeds, Land Back includes respecting Indigenous rights, preserving languages and traditions, and ensuring
food sovereignty, housing, and clean air and water.
Actions
In 2016, artist Jaque Fragua was in the news when he painted graffiti reading, "This Is Indian Land" on a large construction site wall in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. In 2021,
Nicholas Galanin
Nicholas Galanin (pronounced gah-LANN-in) is a Tlingit and Unangax̂ multi-disciplinary artist and musician from Alaska. His work often explores a dialogue of change and identity between Native and non-Native communities.
Background
Nicholas Gal ...
(
Tlingit
The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ), /
Unangax
The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the Alaska Natives, indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are pol ...
) created a gigantic "Indian Land" sign – in letters reminiscent of southern California's
Hollywood sign – for entry the Desert X festival.
''Land Back'' was introduced in 2018 by Arnell Tailfeathers, a member of the
Blood Tribe
The Kainai Nation (or , or Blood Tribe) ( bla, Káínaa) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,800 members in 2015, up from 11,791 in December 2013.
translates direc ...
(
Blackfoot Confederacy
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...
). It then quickly became a
hashtag (#LandBack), and now appears in artwork, on clothes and in
beadwork
Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...
. These creations are often used to raise funds to support
water protectors
Water protectors are activists, organizers, and cultural workers focused on the defense of the world's water and water systems. The ''water protector'' name, analysis and style of activism arose from Indigenous communities in North America du ...
and land defenders who protest against oil pipelines in North America.
In 2020, Native electronic music group,
A Tribe Called Red produced a song "Land Back" on their album "
The Halluci Nation
The Halluci Nation, formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, is a Canadian electronic music group who blend instrumental hip hop, reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chan ...
", to support of the
Wet’suwet’en resistance camp and other Indigenous-led movements.
in July 2020, activists from
NDN Collective held a
protest at Mount Rushmore. Native activists assembled on a highway leading to the
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...
, where then-president Donald J. Trump was to give a campaign speech. Mt Rushmore, known to the Sioux as "The Six Grandfathers," is on sacred, unceded land, long disputed in the
Black Hills land claim. As part of the protest, the NDN Collective drafted the "Land Back Manifesto", which reads: "the reclamation of everything stolen from the original Peoples" and organized the current Land Back campaign, which was launched on
Indigenous Peoples' Day
Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday in the United States that celebrates and honors indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an ...
in 2020.
Also in 2020,
Haudenosaunee people from the
Six Nations of the Grand River set up a blockade on
1492 Land Back Lane to shut down a housing development on their unceded territory.
On the
Fourth of July
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
2021 in
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
, a city very close to the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...
, four were arrested after climbing a structure downtown and hanging an upside-down American flag with the words "Land Back" across the flag.
Transfer activity
The
Wiyot people
The Wiyot (Wiyot: Wíyot, Chetco-Tolowa: Wee-’at xee-she or Wee-yan’ Xee-she’, Euchre Creek Tututni: Wii-yat-dv-ne - "Mad River People“, Yurok: Weyet) are an indigenous people of California living near Humboldt Bay, California and a s ...
have lived for thousands of years on
Duluwat Island, in
Humboldt Bay on California's northern coast.
In 2004 the
Eureka
Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
City Council transferred land back to the Wiyot tribe, to add to land the Wiyot had purchased. The council transferred another in 2006.
The
Mashpee Wampanoag have lived in
and eastern
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
for thousands of years. In 2007, about of Massachusetts land was put into trust as a reservation for the tribe. Since then, a legal battle has left the tribe's status—and claim to the land—in limbo.
In October 2018, the city of
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
returned ancient burial site (the
Great Marpole Midden
The Great Marpole Midden (also known as the Eburne Site, or Great Fraser Midden, and known in Halkomelem as ''c̓əsnaʔəm''), is an ancient Musqueam village and burial site located in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia.
...
) land back to the
Musqueam
The Musqueam Indian Band ( ; hur, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm ) is a First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the only First Nations band whose reserve community lies within the boundaries of the City of Vancou ...
people. The land is home to ancient remains of a Musqueam house site.
In 2019, the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
gave of historic land back to the
Wyandotte Nation
The Wyandotte Nation is a Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe in northeastern Oklahoma. They are descendants of the Wyandot people, Wendat Confederacy and Native Americans with territory near Georgian Bay and ...
of
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
.
The US government in 1819 had promised the tribe of land in what is now Kansas City, Kansas. When 664 Wyandotte people arrived, the land had been given to someone else.
In July 2020, the
Esselen tribe purchased a near
Big Sur,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, as part of a larger $4.5m deal. This acquisition, in traditional lands, will protect old-growth forest and wildlife, and the Little Sur River.
Land on the
Saanich Peninsula
Saanich Peninsula ( str, W̱SÁNEĆ) is located north of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded by Saanich Inlet on the west, Satellite Channel on the north, the small Colburne Passage on the northeast, and Haro Strait on the east. The ...
in British Columbia was returned to the
Tsartlip First Nation The Tsartlip First Nation is a First Nations in Canada, First Nation located on the Saanich Peninsula, in Saanich people, Saanich territory on Vancouver Island. They are a member of the Sencot'en Alliance fighting for Native rights. In the 1850s t ...
in December 2020.
Management of the
National Bison Range
The Bison Range (BR) is a nature reserve on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana established for the conservation of American bison. Formerly called the National Bison Range, the size of the bison herd at the BR is 350 adult bison ...
was transferred from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
back to the
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in 2021.
In August 2022, the
Red Cliff Chippewa in northern
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
had of land along the
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
shoreline returned to them from the
Bayfield County government. This came after the tribe signed a 2017 memorandum of understanding with the county, acknowledging the Red Cliff Chippewa's desire to see their reservation boundaries restored in full.
See also
*
Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations
The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations implements the land consolidation component of the ''Cobell v. Salazar'' Settlement, which provided $1.9 billion to purchase fractional interests in trust or restricted land from willing sellers at fai ...
*
Indigenous Land Rights
Indigenous land rights are the rights of Indigenous peoples to land and natural resources therein, either individually or collectively, mostly in colonised countries. Land and resource-related rights are of fundamental importance to Indigeno ...
*
Aboriginal title in the United States
The United States was the first jurisdiction to acknowledge the common law doctrine of aboriginal title (also known as "original Indian title" or "Indian right of occupancy"). Native American tribes and nations establish aboriginal title by act ...
*
Indigenous land rights in Australia
*
Indigenous land claims in Canada
Indigenous peoples in Canada demand to have their land rights and their Aboriginal titles respected by the Canadian government. These outstanding land claims are some of the main political issues facing Indigenous peoples today.
The Government o ...
*
Republic of Lakotah proposal
References
External links
The Land Back Campaign NDN Collective
The Halluci Nation - Land Back Ft. Boogey The Beat & Northern Voice (Official Audio)by A Tribe Called Red
100 years of land struggle(Canada)
{{Authority control
Indigenous rights organizations in North America
Aboriginal title in the United States
Aboriginal title in Canada
2018 establishments in North America