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Land Back Movement

Six-year-old Walt Lara was chosen by his Yurok community as having the purest of

hearts. He was acutely aware of the value of interpersonal connections in preserving a

harmonious and healthy society. The federal authorities attacked the Yurok fisherman in August,

1983. Frank McCovey had been detained by the FBI for fishing. Frank McCovey was

handcuffed and nearly drowned in the river. Frank was rescued by Walt Lara. As a result of

these “fishing war” events, Walt realized that the government neither cared about the Yurok

people nor their fishing rights. Walt became aware that the struggle to protect these inalienable

rights was bigger than him or any one individual. “It had to be methodical, collective, and done

in a healthy balance among the world, meaning physical and spiritual” (Boxer). Physical

confrontation with the “enemy”would not have been enough to prevail. Walt Lara describes his

job as advocating for the Yurok people. Others refer to him as an activist. “Activism can take

many forms but should be grounded in an Indigenous perspective that takes into consideration

the importance of ceremony and, when advocating on behalf of one's people, it is not about the

actions of one leader but of the entire community” (Boxer). Walt's advocacy and personal story

highlights the issues facing the Indigenous people face on a daily basis. Along with many others

similarly situated, he advances the argument and overall message behind the Land Back

Movement.

Throughout the colonization of Europe and the territorial expansion of Canada and the

United States, land that belonged to the Indigenous people was “stolen” from them. The Land

Back movement is a social movement that calls for the return of the land taken from the
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Indigenous people by virtue of a series of treaties, as a result of which millions of acres of land

were taken. Notwithstanding the treaties, the governments of Canada and the United States

frequently and callously disregarded the provisions of those accords. “The Land Back movement

considers the restitution of land—and the water, mineral rights, and any infrastructure currently

on it—as a step toward sovereignty (dominant power and authority)” (“Land Back Movement”).

The movement also aims to offer guidance on land management, protect and restore Native

cultures and languages, guarantee self-determination on Indigenous territories, addressing

climate change, and ensure that Indigenous communities achieve equality in politics and society

in general.

The Land Back Movement, previously known as the American Indian Movement, which

in general respects dates back to the sixteenth century, only lately has begun to gain recognition

beyond the Indigneous people communities and tribes. “When Indigenous organizers say

"LANDBACK," [they’re] not just saying all public lands need to return to Indigenous

stewardship. [They’re] talking about reclaiming [their] identities and relationship with the land”

(Two Bulls and Tilsen). The Land Back Movement activists have initiated many demonstrations

in effort to gain back their land source rights, achieve a higher civic engagement for the

Indigenous people, as well as improve their educational systems.

John and Sebastian Cabot in 1496 were tasked by Henry VII to locate and conquer non

Christian nations. The Cabot family embarked on two exploration journeys in 1497 and 1498.

John Cabot landed on a North American shore and thus became the man who “gave England her

American title” (Younger). Many centuries have gone by before the precise details of that title, as

well as the title held by the Indians who were present when the Cabots arrived, to be articulated.
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The decision of the Supreme Court case in Johnson v. M'Intosh, served as the platform for who

the title should belong to. However, in 1823, the Supreme Court concluded the original colonies

and ultimately the United States had superseded England as the nation-state. England, the

original colonies, and the United States shared a common consensus that no individual was

allowed to purchase Indian lands without official approval from the government to do so. “In a

world where land speculation was the norm and everyone was a land speculator, the prohibitions

did not succeed in preventing unauthorized purchases from Indian tribes” (Younger). Indian

tribes at one time owned roughly four million square kilometers of territory that comprise

modern day America. Currently, only a small fraction of that total area consists of Indian

territories. Tribes, federal, state, and municipal governments, as well as non-Indians, continue to

be at odds over this consequential land dispute.

Indigenous people and their supporters have been reclaiming land or defending territory

acquired by treaty and culturally significant locations for decades via legal actions, government

initiatives, and protests. In 1969, a group of Indigenous people occupied the island of Alcatraz.

Ancient legends appear to corroborate the stories that Alcatraz formerly served as a prison for

tribal members who had broken the “law” and were then banished/ imprisoned as punishment.

The demonstrations continued well into the seventies but slowly lost momentum. Eventually,

President Nixon ordered the peaceful removal of the Indigenous people occupying Alcatraz. In

1971, the demonstration known as the Trail of Broken Treaties occurred. The march of

approximately 1000 Native Americans was focused on the United States Capitol in Washington,

D.C.. The demonstrators offered various proposals to President Nixon in order that he address

the situation. President Nixon’s focus was to respond to the march ending peacefully. He

proposed money for transportation of the demonstrators, as well as appointing a Native

American to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.“The real success for AIM was in getting some media

attention and in heightening public awareness of unresolved Indian issues” (“American Indian

Movement”). Beginning early in the 2000’s, Native American activism saw a revival especially

with the protests at the Standing Rock Reservation. During this protest, an Indigenous tribe

requested the end of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline for “the federal government

failed to follow proper procedures, including consulting with the tribe, before granting permits to

let the pipeline cross waterways” (The Times Editorial Board). It was then that the hashtag

#landback gained popularity and attention was brought to the suffering of Indigenous people.

The hashtag promoted tribes to fight for their land rights back, and pushed the government to

comply with their demands. In the article, “Can the Indigenous #Landback movement secure

self-determination?,” written by Eric Zimmer, states concerning lands that have been restored

back to Native American tribes:

[T]he Rappahannock Tribe in Virginia reacquired 465 acres of

sacred land. The move reflects how, from coast to coast, Native American

communities are restoring their land bases after centuries of dispossession. [T]he

Chickahominy Tribe regained control of some of its land in Virginia. [T]he

InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council reclaimed 523 acres of redwood forest

in Northern California known as Tc'ih-Leh-Dûñ (Fish Run Place), adding to

land reacquired since 1997.

Indigenous people presently own and control more than fifty-six million acres of land, an

increase of nine million acres or 16 percent since the late 1950s. #Landback has encouraged

Native Americans to recover what was previously theirs, enhance their capacity for economic

growth and self-government, and reestablish equilibrium in an Indigenous environment disrupted

by colonialism.

Before Native Americans were granted full citizenship, a number of judicial decisions

affected rightful ownership of their lands. The American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924

recognized Indigenous people as citizens of the United States. The Act granted Indigenous

people born in America the right to vote in federal elections. Native Americans were

nevertheless unable to cast ballots in various states where those elections were solely for state

positions. However, many Indigenous people criticized the government over passage of theAct.

Tuscarora chief Clinton Rickard proclaimed "[A]ll Indians were automatically made United

States citizens whether they wanted to or not. This was a violation of our sovereignty”(American

Indian Citizenship Act of 1924). Despite the United States government’s “well intentioned

belief” in enforcing the American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, many believed the Act

asserted jurisdiction with respect to a right that belonged solely to the Indigenous people.

The voting process continues to be difficult for Native Americans. Indigenous people are

frequently barred from voting in elections by laws that limit how one can vote and the time they

must vote. Indigenous people face obstacles such as challenging travels to the polling booths,

restrictions on voting hours, number of available voting sites, no access to voting services in

their Native languages, having the proper paperwork including but not limited to the appropriate

government identification forms. The Land Back Movement promotes coordination of

Indigenous people coming together and collectively asserting their needs from state and federal

governments. Olivia Maliszewski is pictured during a march with the words “Land Back”

painted on her face (“Land Back Movement to Return”). Here, she is not shown voting, but

rather being an active member in her community and physically demonstrating her voice for

change. Ronald Gamblin writes, “Land back is about Indigenous peoples confronting
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colonialism at the root. It’s about fighting for the right to our relationship with the earth. It’s

about coming back to ourselves, as sovereign Indigenous Nations” (“Speak for Wolves:”). If a

Native American cannot explicitly share their voice through voting, then they must represent

themselves through protests and activism via the Land Back Movement.

Beginning in the 1860’s, the United States implemented a program of mandatory

assimilation for Native Americans. “Assimilation means the U.S. government tried to blend

Native Americans into mainstream U.S. society” (Brannen). This strategy entailed removing

Native American youth from their tribes. The children were sent to boarding schools where they

essentially had any trace of their Native American identities stricken away. From this point on,

more and more schools like this were founded across the country. Though some of the boarding

schools for Indigenous children began to close in the 1930s, many continued operating.

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) was established in 2006 with the mission to fulfill

Native American tribe’s desire for exceptional educational opportunities throughout the entirety

of the students academic career. According to the article, “Native American Rights,” “most

Native American students attend public schools…The BIE oversees about 183 elementary and

secondary schools in twenty-three states. The BIE also oversees two post-secondary education

institutes.” The solution to raising living standards and addressing problems among the

Indigenous people is by expanding and refining their educational opportunities. Despite efforts

by the BIE, children in these schools underperformed in reading and math in comparison to the

children in regular United States public schools. In the article, “This Indigenous Peoples' Day,

We Don't Need Celebration. We Need Our Land Back" written by Krystal Two Bulls, the director

of the land back initiative for an Indigenous activist organization, and Nick Tilsen, the president

and chief executive officer of that organization, they restate the motives the Land Back
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Movement with respect to educational systems:

As we take action, we're also calling for a reckoning with the erasure of

our history. We need our children to be provided with a culturally competent

education that uplifts our values and provides the honest story that this nation was

built by attempted genocide, on top of stolen land by a stolen people...We want

the truth of the United States' history to run hot through your own blood, so you

never lose sight of why decolonization is the only answer to our society's many

sicknesses.

The goal of the Land Back Movement regarding education is to not only give the same

educational opportunities to Indigenous people, but most importantly for that education to

incorporate the truth about history and allow as well as incorporate true expression of Native

American culture and values. The Land Back Movement argues for children of tribes to feel safe,

comfortable, and well-represented in the schools they attend.

Despite the Land Back movement's detractors asserting that its activities may have an

impact on land management, cost employment, and lead to competition between tribes for

resources and land, the activists are not backing down. Millions of acres have been returned back

to the Indigenous people. Fights for more civil rights and educational opportunities are

continually gaining more and more public attention. The Land Back Movement advocates are

moving in the right direction and they will continue to work hard until they achieve the justice

they so richly deserve.

Works Cited

"American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924." Civil Rights in the United States, edited by Waldo E.

Martin, Jr. and Patricia Sullivan, Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. Gale In Context:

Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/BT2338230559/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OVIC&

xid=6d6d6eae. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

"American Indian Movement." Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, edited by Donna Batten,

3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2010, pp. 270-273. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1337700268/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OVIC&

xid=fdef37dd. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

Boxer, Elise. "American Indian Studies Association Conference Presidential Address: Advocacy

and Indigenous Resistance: The Ongoing Assault against Indigenous Sovereignty,

Community, and Land." Wicazo Sa Review, vol. 32, no. 2, fall 2017, pp. 91+. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A557705415/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xi

d=9975d1dc. Accessed 27 Nov. 2022.

Brannen, Daniel E., Jr., et al. "Native Americans." Supreme Court Drama: Cases That Changed

America, edited by Lawrence W. Baker, 2nd ed., vol. 5: Business and Government Law,

UXL, 2011, pp. 1209-1217. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1929200237/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OVIC&

xid=412985f2. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

"Can the Indigenous #Landback movement secure self-determination?" Washingtonpost.com, 5

Apr. 2022, p. NA. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A699471053/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xi

d=ba63e571. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

"Land Back Movement." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/NFPWDR835010642/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-O

VIC&xid=7d6846cd. Accessed 27 Nov. 2022.

"Land Back Movement to Return Indigenous Lands to Indigenous People." Gale Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/KNXEPI185890814/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OV

IC&xid=c9f92554. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

"Speak for Wolves: LANDBACK Movement." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection,

Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/DWRRFK004024322/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-O

VIC&xid=bac9c412. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

The Times Editorial Board. "The Dakota Access Pipeline Threatens Standing Rock." Gale

Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/YPRIPD229124672/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OV

IC&xid=3f0f09b8. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022. Originally published as "Say no to the

Dakota Access Pipeline," Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2016.

Two Bulls, Krystal, and Nick Tilsen. "This Indigenous Peoples' Day, We Don't Need Celebration.

We Need Our Land Back." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/DFPJQQ127253129/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OV

IC&xid=042276b1. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022. Originally published as "This Indigenous

Peoples' Day, We Don't Need Celebration. We Need Our Land Back," In These Times, 12

Oct. 2020.

Younger, Judith T. "Whose America?" Constitutional Commentary, vol. 22, no. 1, spring 2005,

pp. 241+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A149071444/OVIC?u=lincclin_mdcc&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xi

d=407a775a. Accessed 27 Nov. 2022.