Land Back

About

Since time immemorial, indigenous peoples have protected biodiversity in the face of continued human population growth. Since contact with settlers, indigenous communities have been stripped of their ancestral lands; the Land Back movement aims to restore governance and stewardship of the land for a sustainable future.

If Land Back is a call to action, a return of equity to a stolen territory, it is also an opening to some questioning. How can we best protect our biodiversity, our land and our water? The first step would be to return the land to its traditional and legitimate protectors. Returning to indigenous knowledge goes beyond symbolic gestures of recognition or inclusion to significantly change practices and structures.

The Land Back movement is not only about land ownership, it is also about reclaiming a culture and an education that has long been repressed, suppressed and silenced. Many Indigenous skills and knowledge, usually passed down from generation to generation, have unfortunately been lost or forgotten over time. An important part of Indigenous cultures is the connection to nature and the cohabitation with the elements. This applies as much to the symbolism of the natural elements as it does to the ways in which their resources can be used, for agriculture and medicine for example.