Whose Land Are You On? What to Know About the Indigenous Land Back Movement | Lindsey Schneider |TED

Land thrives in Indigenous hands, and there are real, tangible ways you can help return what was stolen by colonizers from tribes across North America. Indigenous scholar Lindsey Schneider addresses the ill-gotten legacy of settler colonialism with an introduction to the Land Back movement: the push to return stewardship of the Earth to its rightful guardians and restore balance to ecosystems for generations to come.

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[SurfbyShootin]

Currently, a tribe called Blackrock owns alot of the land.

[DennisCambly]

Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world. We turn inward and begin to feed upon our own personalities, and little by little we destroy ourselves. Chief Dan George

[BruceBrewsky]

"Guest on their homeland" Did the Ohlone and Duwamish people pay a "voluntary tax" on the land they took from the previous owners? Or did they take it by force like everyone else ever?

[alishathompson]

I think a lot of people have a hard time with the concept of land back because we are a culture obsessed with ownership and possessing things. We don't really own anything, we all die and borrow the world from the next generations. The people who decided genocide was a good idea are also profiting massively from killing the planet and making everyone more poor besides a select few. Practicing capitalism the way we do is toxic and we don't keep a good relationship with the earth. We see everything as a usable resource. There's a large disconnect. Instead of defending why all cultures of the past have practiced genocide, why don't we make a better future knowing that's not how we should progress. Learning to give back is common if you take!

[ben]

She gives basically one “why”, but never a “what”. Is it all land? Land of cultural significance? From what time frame, and what about land with contested claims?

[ishockeyfrilla]

I guess I'm indigenous. I was born on the soil I spilled blood for. I respect it.

[sakinmerc]

The racist colonial mentality in this comment section is infuriating.

[marsbolcan]

3:01 "but that's why land back is not about indigenous people trying to run a real estate scam"

7:23 "so look up whose land you're on. Some tribes ... have a way to pay a voluntary land tax on their website..."

And later on again it's suggested to give up land in people's will when they die to indigenous people.

Sounds like a real estate scam to me

[rtrevas]

Nobody should have a claim on land, the earth should be everyones land and everyone includes all living species

[extrospective]

But what about who was there before the tribes?

[chocomalk]

There were three waves of "Indigenous peoples" over a span of 15000 years....so, who are the "original"? And does it matter? And what is the cut off point to be "indigenous"? And just in case you missed it....they are NOT indigenous if they migrated FFS.

[stione]

I totally agree that what happened in the past is terrible and I also agree that we should be treating the land as a relative. I have concerns about what Land Back, or unsettling, looks like scaled up because these ideas don't seem well thought through. Are we talking about a slow migration through attrition of non-indigenous out of North America? This leads me to a point of disagreement: that this is the only way to protect the earth. Seems like a better solution is one that involves all of us, not just a special collection of cultures and peoples. With that said, might there be a way for non-indigenous people to join in land stewardship instead of simply leaving?

[Lionesse-z]

My husband and I don't have kids, and we don't think his sisters want our farm. We were looking to leave it to a land trust, but instead, we're going to do this. He's part Kanien'kehá:ka, and though I'm white and Jewish, I have always been very sympathetic to indigenous people. I truly love these people. To be part of Land Back would be a great honor.

[ftapon]

We tried feudalism and bloodline-based inheritance for thousands of years.
Our current system is imperfect, but it's better than giving land to people based on genetics.

[geoffrobinson]

A conquered B conquered C conquered D …

[homewall]

Yes, regular people make no use of the resources "the rich" uncover and put into products and services. We all just sit on dirt and eat what we hunt and gather between songs and dance.

While some of these groups are doing great, it's absurd to pretend that only natives restore lands, and certainly not that natives make no use of modern life.

[henrycollins]

I imagine it was no one’s land. Then someone took it, then it was taken again, and again. Then Europeans did.

[XImpalerX]

"Hey guys, I want free stuff" is my takeaway from this.

[babe]

There were many tribes all through America and most of those tribes were at war with each other, you'll be surprised to know. Can we TED talk about that?

[cjstolfa]

im a white person who lives in MN, and I think the Land Back movement is a great idea that should be considered much more than it is. We're in a climate crisis induced by greed, if there could be leadership that actually cared about the land and our future as a society, i welcome them with open arms.