This land is not our land
This land is not our land.
First of all, it’s almost all stolen and colonized, yes.
I’ll never forget hearing an Indigenous elder speaking at a conference about his journey across occupied territory to get there. And how for his people the apocalypse happened five hundred years ago, and they were now living in a post-apocalyptic world.
That has stuck with me.
I’ve been thinking about this again since returning from an incredible solo trip to Joshua Tree, CA.
What I saw on my trip, including my flight there and back where I enjoyed clear skies and a coast to (almost) coast view of this country, including spectacular views as we flew over the Grand Canyon, caused me to marvel at the hubris of anyone for thinking that the land could ever belong to anyone.
Well, apparently there’s a passage in the Bible, Genesis 1:28:
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
I absolutely reject this, not just philosophically but practically.
What I saw on my trip is an earth that will not be subdued.
That’s not to diminish the absolutely devastating impact we as humans have had and will continue to have on this planet and many of its species. We may not survive and the planet may not survive but the planet has been around a lot longer than we have and will likely fare better than us by our own actions.
That felt viscerally clear to me.
But really. Imagine looking at this land and deciding to own it. Imagine looking at livestock and deciding to own it. Imagine looking at people and deciding to own them.
Part of the process of decolonization, part of the joy and reward of it, is that we get to redefine relationships so they are less extractive, less oppressive, less codependent, less fractured, and more synergetic, holistic, interdependent and connected.
I’m still processing my trip, which gave me all these things and more, and was meaningful in ways I hadn’t expected. Joshua Tree feels like a golden dream but the takeaways will remain with me for a long time.
Banner and all photos by Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick
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