Working with Land and Communities
The Holistic Land and Life Strategy focuses on creating access to and use of lands that support the renewal of relationships, knowledge, and responsibility.
This work is grounded in the understanding that land is not empty or neutral. Every place carries relationships from the past, present, and future.
As lands are identified across Turtle Island, the Anishinaabek Land Trust works alongside First Nations communities to understand the history, current use, and significance of each place. This ensures that any work carried out reflects the relationships and responsibilities already connected to that land.
The Land Trust does not pursue lands where there are known or potential connections to other communities that have not been acknowledged or addressed. The goal is not simply to access land, but to ensure that existing and future relationships are respected.
This process allows for a clearer understanding of the original relationships tied to each place, and helps guide how land can be approached in a responsible and respectful way.
In working with lands of interest, the following questions guide our approach:
- Is this land connected to a First Nation or community historically?
- Are there relationships, uses, or responsibilities tied to this land that are still active today?
- Are there communities who may seek to reconnect with or return to this land in the future?
These considerations help ensure that the Land Trust’s work supports, rather than disrupts, existing and future relationships with the land.
Priority Landscapes
Connected to species at risk, traditional medicines, or culturally significant species
Important to communities, including medicine places, waterways, wetlands, harvesting areas, and places of significance
Under pressure from development, climate change, invasive species, or other impacts
These lands are not selected only for their ecological value, but for the relationships they hold and the knowledge they carry.
Working With Landowners
The strategy depends on the participation of landowners who are open to supporting long-term relationships with the land.
This may include different forms of access, shared use, or the transfer of land, depending on the needs of the land and the people connected to it.
By participating, landowners contribute to protecting important landscapes while supporting learning, relationship-building, and the carrying forward of knowledge.
Why does this matter?
This approach ensures that the work of the Land Trust supports, rather than overrides, existing relationships with the land.
By understanding the people, histories, and responsibilities connected to each place, the Land Trust helps create conditions where land is shared and used in a way that reflects original teachings and responsibilities.