Weary of promises unfulfilled, Native American tribes and nations are buying back the land of their ancestors. Waiting on the United States government to make good on the promises of treaties, or the outcome of court cases, regarding land holdings has allowed developers and others to desecrate sacred places. Realizing they can wait no longer if they are to protect their cultures and traditions, native tribes are focusing their efforts and utilizing their resources to back buy traditional lands.

A mere 840,000 acres of traditional land has been re-acquired in the last twenty years. To put this in perspective, consider that the smallest state in the United States is Rhode Island and this is roughly the amount of land that Indian tribes and nations have been able to re-obtain through purchase. There is no way to determine how much land was promised to tribal peoples through treaty. However it is known that the land that settlers and others obtained through wholesale land give-aways equated to the loss of millions of acres of land holdings that were critical to the cultures and traditions of Indian peoples.

To underscore the reality of what losing their land means to native nations and tribes, Dr. David G. Lewis, the Cultural Resource Manager of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, stated, “The land is the basis of all of our culture and spirituality. Having the land back allows us to conduct our spiritual practices in an appropriate fashion and to maintain our traditions. Without the land it is difficult to live a Native lifestyle.”





Waiting for the return of the land through the US court system takes time, and waiting is not seen as an option for many Native American leaders. Chairwoman Sue Shaffer, of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, understood the critical need to re-acquire tribal lands thirty years ago. In response to a question I recently posed to her regarding the tribe’s land holding, her response was this, “All of the land that you see that the Cow Creeks have, has been purchased back by us. Nothing has been given to us. Nothing! Not one square inch! We earned it all ourselves.” An enlightened leader, Chairwoman Shaffer understands how important it is to her tribe to own the traditional lands as a means for the tribe to sustain itself, its cultural identity, its traditions, and ultimately, the long term welfare of its people.

Weary but undaunted, Native Americans are buying back their lands to ensure survival. Tired and sick at heart, Indians have had to watch as developers bought up huge tracts of land to pander to the interests of those who would defame sacred places. Unwilling to endure this sight any longer, they have marshaled their resources and are preserving their cultures through reacquisition of their traditional lands. It is not too late.

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