Rematriation

Communities are taking the first steps in support of rematriation, or the reestablishment of connections between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands. One approach is the payment of land taxes to local Indigenous groups. In June 2021, the Alameda, California, city council paid Shuumi land tax to the Indigenous people living in the Bay Area of California. This agreement establishes $11,000 payments per year for two years. In 2023, land near Oakland, California, was returned to an Indigenous Land Trust.

For the rematriation of Indigenous lands to occur, planners need to reflect on the role of previous and current land use and development processes in removing Indigenous people from their ancestral lands, and they must collaborate with local Indigenous groups and current residents to find the most equitable way forward. The rematriation of Indigenous land has positive implications for sustainability, resilience, and health, as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion, so planners should watch and learn from these programs to see how they will impact and potentially uplift common planning goals.