CORRINA GOULD on Settler Responsibility and Reciprocity [ENCORE] /355
Nov 8, 2023
auto_awesome
Corrina Gould, a land rematriation advocate, discusses settler responsibility and reciprocity. Topics include reclaiming ancestral land in the Bay Area, relearning history for land restoration, settler responsibility and the Shoumi land tax, indigenous land trusts, preserving sacred shell mounds, and indigenous sovereignty and liberation.
Preserving and protecting ancestral burial sites and shell mounds in the Bay Area is essential for honoring indigenous ancestors and reconnecting with the historical ecology of the land.
Indigenous land reclamation through initiatives like the Segorette Land Trust allows for the restoration of ceremonial practices, traditional food growing, and a deeper connection with the natural environment.
A cultural shift towards integrity, conservation, and land restoration can be achieved by acknowledging and sharing the truth about past atrocities, trusting and listening to indigenous people, and making meaningful contributions and support.
Deep dives
The Importance of Remembrance and Indigenous Stewardship
Karina Gould, a spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Li Shan and Aloni, discusses the significance of preserving and protecting ancient burial sites and shell mounds in the Bay Area. These sites serve as monuments to indigenous ancestors and their traditional way of life. Gould highlights the need to remember the historical ecology of the land, emphasizing the abundance and vitality it once possessed. She also calls for a return to living closer to the land, where sustainability and balance can be restored. Gould envisions a future where people have a deep connection to the land and live in reciprocity with the natural world.
Urban Indigenous Land Trust and Land Reclamation
Gould talks about the Segorette Land Trust, the first urban indigenous land trust in the country, and the importance of indigenous land reclamation in urbanized areas like the Bay Area. These land trusts allow indigenous people to regain stewardship over their ancestral lands and create spaces for ceremonial practices, growing traditional foods, and connecting with the natural environment. Gould emphasizes the need for a cultural shift towards living in harmony with the land, and highlights the role of women in leading these land restoration efforts.
Relearning History and Reconnecting with the Land
Gould discusses the importance of relearning history from an indigenous perspective, particularly the dark legacy of colonization, genocidal policies, and slavery. By acknowledging and sharing the truth about past atrocities, Gould believes society can foster integrity, conservation, and land restoration. She emphasizes the need for settlers to trust and listen to indigenous people, recognizing their deep knowledge and connection to the land. Gould highlights the role of small acts in preserving and protecting sacred sites, calling for meaningful contributions and support from allies and accomplices.
The Role of Indigenous Women and Gender Non-conforming Folks
Gould explores the important role of indigenous women and gender non-conforming folks in leading land restoration efforts. She emphasizes the need to move away from patriarchal heteronormative models of land management and towards a renewed energy that prioritizes the knowledge of care and respect for the land. Gould highlights the unique responsibilities that women hold in nurturing life and connecting with the land, and envisions a future where women's leadership is central to the restoration and healing of the land.
Preserving Shell Mounds and the Path to Land Restoration
Gould discusses the significance of preserving and protecting shell mounds, sacred burial sites of indigenous ancestors. She shares the historical importance of these sites and the ongoing efforts to fight against their destruction through legal battles and interfaith ceremonies. Gould encourages people to support and contribute to the preservation of these sites, highlighting the significance of small acts in subverting cultural amnesia and honoring the ancestors. She envisions a future where the healing sanctity and rhythm of life are embraced, and the land is restored through a shift away from consumption, greed, and extraction towards a more balanced and reciprocal relationship with the natural world.
This week we are taking a pause from our regularly scheduled releases to rebroadcast Corrina Gould’s potent and powerful episode that originally aired in November 2020.
We hope that this episode serves as a reminder of humanity and land rematriation in the face of deep colonial violence. The genocide in Palestine highlights the ways colonial forces of greed, extraction and brutal disregard for life and ties to the land are bearing their bloody teeth. We cannot return to “normal.” How can we catalyze action towards a future of reparation, responsibility, and reciprocity?
In this episode of For The Wild, guest Corrina Gould reminds us that the land can sustain us in a way that would provide for our wellbeing should we choose to really re-examine what it is we need to survive. But more than a conversation on the wealth of the land, we explore responsibility and reciprocity on stolen homelands by asking what it means to be in right relationship? How can we foster integrity in conservation and land restoration work amidst a world that continues to peddle scarcity, greed, and extraction? How can folks contribute to the re-storying of the land, even if through small acts?
Corrina Gould is the spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone. She is an activist that has worked on preserving and protecting the ancient burial sites of her ancestors in the Bay Area for decades. She is the Co-founder and a Lead Organizer for Indian People Organizing for Change and co-founder of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. Music by Shayna Gladstone and Amo Amo. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.
