‘Land Back’ investigates land theft in Canada and how Indigenous people are reclaiming their territories
CBC Podcasts’ “Land Back” investigates land theft in Canada and what steps Indigenous people are taking to reclaim their lives, identities, and territories. Join Gitxsan host and investigative journalist Angela Sterritt as she dives into what “Land Back” means and speaks with people whose lives are impacted on a daily basis.
Stream this 6-part series from the beginning to witness the court cases, go behind the blockades, and hear what’s happening inside elders’ kitchens to learn about political slogan’s meaning.
Episode 1 discusses what happened in 1991 when a Gitxsan clan served an eviction notice to a white couple building a house on their land. They have been in the midst of a historic Aboriginal rights and title case. Sterritt met the leaders who fought Canada in the Delgamuukw case, and examines why the battle carries on.
On episode 2, Sterritt spent a day with Sleydo on the frontlines of police raids in the war between the Coastal Gaslink pipeline and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs. While this fight continues, Sleydo is regaining her cultural identity, parenting, and building a life in the territory. Sterritt learned more about the impact of Canadian law.
At the Unist’ot’en resistance camp in Wet’suwet’en’s territory, healing is their main goal. Sterritt stopped by the camp and spoke with 3 generations of women about their shared vision. While at the camp, she heard concerning allegations and analyzed the challenges faced when reclaiming land during colonization.
In the Fraser Valley, near a destroyed residential school, 3 Sto:lo nations are reclaiming 60 hectares of Crown land. Sterritt interviewed a survivor to learn about reclaiming the land and the connection between schools and land theft.
Canada’s Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said, “It’s time to give land back,” and Sterritt brought questions from Indigenous land defenders to the Minister to share why governments often talk about a resolve but continue to take First Nations to court.
The Squamish village of Sen̓áḵw burned in 1913 and residents were displaced to make space for the city of Vancouver. A sliver of land was reclaimed and the Squamish Nation is currently working on a major project. Sterritt looks at “Land Back’s” meaning for this city and why some white people are troubled by this.
“Land Back” is an informative investigative series, now streaming wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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