Preface
In my experience, most discussions about Indigenous rights issues revolve around things that have happened in the past. We exist in an era where the concept of “reconciliation” is consistently introduced as a promising means to an end to strife between Indigenous people and the Canadian government. Further, there is an ongoing illusion that we are in a state of reparations and actively making amends for damage that was done long ago. Thus, the very real, very harmful things that are currently being inflicted upon Indigenous communities are overshadowed and rarely included in wholesome and cheery chats about “reconciliation.” Today, I want to take a bit of a deep dive into the current issue of land grabbing. Further, how this issue occurs worldwide, not just in Canada. Let’s look at the disturbing parallels between some instances of land grabbing where Indigenous communities are forcibly removed from their homes across the globe.
What is Land Grabbing?
Current issues surrounding indigenous rights, health, and well-being are often based on past wrongdoings that have caused generational trauma in indigenous communities. Some of this stems from the unjust and violent land seizure of Indigenous lands during colonization. However, this kind of land theft is much more recent than we are often led to believe. Currently, numerous Indigenous communities are being uprooted from their homes due to land grabbing. Land grabbing is defined as the seizing of land by a nation, state, or organization, especially illegally, underhandedly, or unfairly. Let’s call it what it is – stealing. It happens in Canada and internationally, and the perpetrators of land grabs have faced few repercussions, if any.
The Philippines
In Bukidnon, Philippines, the Manobo-Pulangiyon Indigenous peoples have experienced land grabbing first-hand. Their land has been illegally occupied by private owners for the past several decades. Originally, part of the land was “borrowed” through a verbal agreement between tribal leaders and private owners in 1920. Following this “agreement,” the land was made into a cattle ranch, fenced in, and a private army was set up to guard the perimeter. Ever since, the tribe has been pushed further and further out of their land.
The people of the Manobo-Palangiyon tribe are currently living on the side of a busy road bordering their ancestral lands and have been stuck there for the past several years. They are in a state of desperation without reliable access to food and water, precarious safety conditions, and little government action to help them reclaim their land. Today, they have not been able to reclaim even a small portion of their land, and numerous tribe members have been shot by the private army guarding the territory. The armed militants and perpetrators of land theft have faced no repercussions.
Guatemala
In Polochic Valley, Guatemala, hundreds of Mayan Indigenous families were dispossessed of their land in a military and paramilitary armed raid in 2011. A powerful agribusiness company forcibly seized the land and sent Indigenous families running for their lives in yet another case of violent land grabbing. Owned by an extremely wealthy local family, the powerful agribusiness company stole this land for palm oil production intended for the U.S. and European biofuel industry. This market has been driven up by these nations’ governments’ goal for alternative sources of transportation fuels, and Indigenous communities are paying the price. This is only one example of many land grabs around the world that have been at the hands of the biofuel industry.
“In the middle of a maize field, a piece of fabric held up by four wooden stakes makes for the roof of her family’s makeshift shelter. Their only possessions: gourd seeds, two bottles of water and a patched radio.”
A quote describing the situation of 18-year-old Tecla Kuxh and her one-year-old baby after fleeing their home from the armed military.
Honduras
Just next door to Guatemala, the Aguán Valley region in Honduras is an area of deadly land conflict that contributes greatly to Honduras’s title as the “murder capital of the world.” Much like the above cases, the Indigenous farmers who have been reliant on the fertile lands of the Aguán Valley have been violently removed from their land by large companies in the palm oil industry.
This conflict has been linked to dozens of murders over the past several years and, once again, little has been done to support the Indigenous community and restore land rights and peace in the region. To address the violence, a law was passed in 2011 to prohibit ordinary citizens in the Aguán Valley from carrying guns. However, this rule does not apply to hostile paramilitary personnel. So, Indigenous farmers are at a further disadvantage and left vulnerable to armed attacks with no means to defend themselves. This case has a long history which is covered extensively in the documentary “Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguán Valley” available here.
Land Grabbing in Canada
In Canada, there are numerous cases of land grabbing. The most well-known of which is the ongoing case of the Wet’suwet’en land defenders in British Columbia. In this case, the Coastal GasLink pipeline project is being constructed over Indigenous land. Despite the blatant refusal by all five Wet’suwet’en clans, the project was pushed forward. There is some misunderstanding surrounding who has/hasn’t signed off on this project. From my understanding, some chiefs within Wet’suwet’en territory did sign off on the project. However, Indigenous groups have explained that within their government system, these approvals are only applicable to the specific territory of each respective chief. Thus, the pipeline still crosses multiple territories where there was absolutely no free and informed consent from local leaders and communities.
This conflict has escalated due to the criminalization of Indigenous land defenders and the lack of government protection of land rights. There are several cases of forceful removal and jailing of land defenders, as well as threats and armed raids. Between 2019 and 2021, 74 land defenders were arrested in government initiated raids. This conflict remains ongoing and accompanies several other cases of land grabbing in Canada (supported by the government) typically for gas line purposes. This is not the first land rights conflict and likely will not be the last.
The Similarities of These Cases
All these cases are strikingly similar. Across the world, hundreds of Indigenous people are being violently removed from their homes. Further, they are criminalized for attempting to regain land that is rightfully theirs. To reiterate, first Indigenous communities are illegally forced off their land, then they are treated as criminals for fighting to get it back.
Another layer of land grabbing pertains to the health of the land that has fallen victim to this kind of theft. Amid the current climate crisis, greedy companies are occupying is fertile land, rich in biodiversity and natural resources. Natural ecosystems and waterways are exploited and destroyed in addition to the cost of human life and security. Unfortunately, the cases I have briefly touched on in this post are only a few among many.
I find the topic of land grabbing to be incredibly dystopian and barbaric. Although violent conflict over resources is the history of mankind, have we not reached a point where there is surely a better way? Unfortunately, this is one of the issues where greed conquers what is right, regardless of how resilient the affected communities are and how hard they continue to fight for their homes.
Leave a Reply