It's no secret, that this company is proudly Indigenously owned. If you have purchased an item from me, you have purchased a genuine piece of Native art, and have supported and independent Native business. If you have purchased an item from me, you may have noticed that I often sign my ceramics with my name, a little doodle, and the phrase Land Back. Maybe you have heard this phrase before. Maybe you have Native friends and understand what it means; or perhaps, you've seen it online, it has precipitated some strong emotions.
Land Back is a movement, led by Indigenous people and communities, that argues that Land stewardship shall return to the Indigenous peoples of said Land. That, if you return the management of the Land to it's protectors, than we can begin to mitigate the harm done by colonialism. The harm done to Indigenous communities, and the harm done to the Land and her environment.
Typically, after I explain the definition of Land Back, the next thing a non-Indigenous person asks, "So you want Natives to kick all non-Natives from the Land?"
Although I don't speak for all Natives, the answer to that question is usually "No, That's what happened to our ancestors. That's what white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy would do and have done. That's not something most of us would like to engage with." Land Back looks like many different things. It could look like property taxes going back to Native organizations. It could look like zoning and city management being consulted by local tribal organizations first. It could look like Native-led land management techniques like prescribed burning, and agricultural techniques. There are so many different ways that people can engage with the Land Back movement.
I will end on this note, Land Back is a very important movement. Things will not get better on Turtle Island (America) if it does not reckon with it's two original sins. The enslavement and trafficking of humans from Africa as well as the trafficking and genocide of the original peoples of Turtle Island. This means that Reparations and Land Back are necessary to begin the healing of this nation.