Holding the Fire: Indigenous Voices on the Great Unraveling Deep Relationship to the Land with Sam Olando
Nov 7, 2023
In this conversation, Sam Olando, a Luo man from Kenya and executive director of Pamoja Trust, discusses the struggles faced by Indigenous people, including displacement from ancestral lands due to corporate and governmental actions. He shares insights on the significance of Indigenous values like reciprocity and community, emphasizing their importance in empowerment and sustainability. Sam also explores the shift towards integrating traditional justice systems in addressing grievances and the role of youth in advocating for essential resources and community resilience.
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Childhood lessons in community care
- Sam Olando shares a childhood custom where the weakest ate last to ensure care for the vulnerable.
- Community members joined in constructing homes, offering non-monetary support and eating together as a family afterwards.
Community organizing builds power
- Indigenous values of equity and social justice inform Sam's community organizing work.
- Organizing marginalized voices builds power to challenge exploitative dominant systems.
Land's deep social meaning
- Land has a deep social and ancestral connection beyond its capitalist value.
- Compensation for land loss must address this social attachment, not just monetary costs.