Skip to content

Land Back: Because Real Freedom Starts With Giving Back What Was Stolen

Settler Acknowledgment

As the admin team behind Free Alberta, we acknowledge that we're settlers on Treaty 6, 7, and 8 territories. We're typing these very words while sitting on land that was never ceded by the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Stoney Nakoda, Tsuu T'ina, and Métis peoples. We're grateful for everything this land and Mother Earth have provided us, even though "grateful" feels a bit weak when you're benefiting from a centuries-long land heist. Please read our sarcasm & humor throughout this document as mockery of capitalism and in no way disrespect for indigenous peoples.

Send Email to Minister Responsible for Landback Call Rick Wilson, Honourable Minister of Indigenous Relations Email Minister of Indigenous Relations Call Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks Email Minister of Forestry and Parks

Oh, You Think You're Free? laughs in Indigenous sovereignty

Let's have a real talk about freedom. We're all out here waving our "FREEDOM" flags while casually living on stolen land - stolen, in some cases, in this lifetime. How's that for cognitive dissonance?

There are still disproportionate amounts of indigenous folks killed by police, having parent-child separations, and occupying our prisons. Just because we never built big walls doesnt mean we don't operate in a colonial state. Settlers built literal forts out here dude; they invaded.

Why Land Back Is The Ultimate Freedom Movement

  1. Can't Spell Freedom Without "Free The Land"

    • We can't honestly talk about liberty while sitting on occupied territory
    • Those "This is our land!" convoy folks might want to check their history books

  2. Environmental Freedom

    • Indigenous stewardship protected these lands for millennia
    • Meanwhile, capitalist thinking showed up and speed ran a oil state that is destroying the whole planet; invented all new ways to get that cursed cancer tar out the ground.
    • Turns out, having your land managed by people who see it as a relative instead of a resource works better

  3. Economic Freedom

    • "But what about my property values?" - Settler who doesn't realize they're part of a 150+ year squatting operation
    • Indigenous economic models existed without creating billionaires or homeless people (weird how that works)

What Can We Actually Do?

Learn: Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada Learn: Treaty 6 Learn: Treaty 7 Learn: Treaty 8

Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is

  1. Pay our rent (Land Back tax to local nations - yes, it's a thing)
  2. Support Indigenous-led environmental initiatives
  3. Show up when Indigenous land defenders request settler support
  4. Learn the actual history (not the sanitized "everyone was friends" version)

The Freedom Pipeline We Actually Need

While some folks are out there fighting for pipelines, we're here to pipe some truth: Real freedom means:

  1. Supporting Indigenous sovereignty
  2. Recognizing traditional governance
  3. Protecting the land for future generations
  4. Dismantling colonial systems (yes, even the ones we benefit from)

Think About It

If we're so obsessed with freedom from government overreach, maybe we should support the peoples who've been resisting it for centuries?

Resources for Fellow Freedom-Curious Settlers

Support Indigenous Climate Action Local Outreach Tawaw

Reality Check

"But what about MY freedom?"

  • Some settler probably

"Your freedom to swing your fist ends where Indigenous sovereignty begins."

  • Us, just now

In Conclusion

Look, we get it. This might not be the "freedom" content you were expecting from a Free Alberta website. Maybe you came here looking for some spicy anti-government memes and instead got served a plate of uncomfortable truth with a side of settler guilt.

But here's the thing: We can't meme our way out of colonialism. Real freedom means confronting uncomfortable truths and working to dismantle systems of oppression - even (especially) when we benefit from them.

Remember: The most radical act of freedom is acknowledging our own role in oppression and working to dismantle it. Even if we have to use some spicy memes to get there. 🌶️

alt text

This page is maintained by settlers trying to do better, one uncomfortable conversation at a time.