I wanted to take a moment to express my thoughts on this holiday season on what LandBack means to me. There is a story in my family that my great-great grandfather was offered the most pristine lake in Michigan for $100, and it was a joke offer because of course he did not have that kind of money and was insult to injury because he was Native American.
LandBank is a movement of consideration of the original people of this land. My ancestors lived through a time when the land was not something to be bought and sold. They fought hard through assimilation, often sacrificing culture and traditional practices, to create a space within a new society to ensure the survival of their kinship several generations into the future.
Instead of choosing the cash offer from a venture capital firm that is looking for another rental, consider offering first rights to local tribal community members. When the government is selling BLM land off, consider offering it to the local tribes or non-federally recognized tribes. Many of our tribal reservations are checkerboarded with non-Native owned land, and when that land is sold, it should be offered to the surrounding tribe or tribal members to purchase. If you are a social investor looking for a way to give back to the community, consider offering capital to projects supporting tribes in economic development or in purchasing land for their communities. Certified Native CDFIs are trusted entities that can facilitate this process.
A colleague of mine said this week referred to this holiday as “Takesgiving” since the onset of colonization, Native Americans have been giving and giving to a relentless and unsatiated hunger from settlers. Our Native communities, for the most part, are looking for the best interest in preserving, protecting, and nourishing our Mother Earth, through a value of reciprocity. We are still here despite all attempts to eliminate us, and we will always be here. So, for this “Takesgiving,” I implore our society to consider a non-extractive approach to resources and apply first considerations in selling land to the first people of this land.