Introduction

Intention: this is a list of resources that are related to decolonization: developing a shared understanding of the basics (a primer), in particular related to economic impacts, and including current/ongoing efforts and leaders. Mostly focused on colonized land currently known by some as the United States.

Following two images by https://indigenouspeoplesresources.com/ - available for purchase as posters.

Interview with mapmaker Aaron Carapella on NPR.

Previous two images by https://indigenouspeoplesresources.com/ - available for purchase as posters.

Interview with mapmaker Aaron Carapella on NPR.

Introductory readings / Primers

Title	Type of reading	Brief Description	Tags
Decolonization is not a metaphor	Academic article	a framework and a thesis on how decolonization doesn’t overlap with social justice	primer
Ari Sahagun’s thoughts and responses to above article	Blog post	blog post with responses	primer
The Map Of Native American Tribes You’ve Never Seen Before	Map + NPR story	regrounding geography/cartography in indigenous knowledge	NPR, map
Three Pillars of White Supremacy	Article		primer
También la lluvia / Even the rain	Movie	stories woven together connecting colonization by Columbus and water privatization protests in Bolivia
LandBack Gallery Walk created by Paul at communitywealthbuilding.org	Google side deck	history of colonial land theft in what’s currently known as the U.S. and resistance movements	primer, maps, timeline
Jason Rodney's blog post on Unsettling Thanksgiving	blog post	thinking about how to unsettle, starting with Thanksgiving	family, RG member
Why Racial Justice Work Needs to Address Settler Colonialism and Native Rights	blog post	written by a woman of color, connections between racial justice + colonialism	solidarity, privilege, intersectionality, primer
Understanding Colonizer Status	blog post	introductory ideas on colonization, appropriation; how to become a good ally	allyship, solidarity
Settler Colonialism Primer	blog post	debunking a lot of myths/stereotypes around natives and native struggles	primer
1491s (on Youtube)	indigenous comedy troupe	In particular: I love the indian store	videos, humor
Dear White People, a letter from Bayo Akomolafe	a letter	letter to white people or settlers that includes ideas about indigeneity and decolonization	primer, solidarity
Love in the time of Decoloniality by Nuraan David	academic article	article that outlines decolonization as more than a rupture of connection with the land, but also with ourselves and ways of knowing	primer, allyship, latin america
Brief Guide to Transferring Land by Sustainable Economies Law Center	guide	legal questions and considerations to keep in mind when returning land	primer, guide, land back
What is decolonization, why is it important, and how can we practice it? by the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative	guide	45-60 minute introduction to concepts of decolonization	primer

More in-depth general info

Title	Type of reading	Brief Description	Tags
“Indigenous Peoples’ History” Resource Guide	Annotated bibliography of 10 books
Reading recommendations for the indigenous history newbie	Multiple books	Indigenous histories more generally
Unsettling Ourselves: Reflections and Resources for Deconstructing Colonial Mentality, and resource list, and a page on Allyship	Essay compilation, resource list
An Indigenous History of North America	Blog
Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society	Academic journal	Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society is an undisciplinary, peer-reviewed, online Open Access journal committed to supporting and advancing decolonization scholarship, practice, and activism within and, more importantly, beyond and against, the academy.
Albert Memmi, The Colonizer and the Colonized	Book
Unsettling America	Blog	lots of resources on allyship, this page in particular
Catalyst Project’s Anne Braeden Reading list on indigenous resistance	Reading list
Anti-colonial accomplices not allies	Blog post	“The risks of an ally who provides support or solidarity (usually on a temporary basis) in a fight are much different than that of an accomplice.“	allyship, accomplices, solidarity
Indian Country the Site of New Developments in Community Wealth Building	News article	List of ongoing projects that support economic sovereignty	projects, wealth, economy
Native-Land.ca	Layered map	Map of territories, languages, and treaties	map, treaties, territories, languages
American Indians in Children's Literature	Blog	Provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society
Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson	(Book) (YouTube interview)
Decolonization Theory and Practice resource list compiled by Racial Equity Tools	List of many resources (some are duplicates here)

Decolonization as it relates to social justice

Title	Type of reading	Brief Description	Tags
Land Rights resources from Oakland Institute	Several publications	“The purchase and lease of vast tracts of land from poor, developing countries by wealthier nations and international private investors has led to debate about whether land investment is a tool for development or force of displacement.”	land rights, international development, land grabs
Decolonizing together	Blog post	“Moving beyond a politics of solidarity toward a practice of decolonization”
Radical Farmers Use Fresh Food to Fight Racial Injustice	Magazine Article / Blog post	an example of how black-centered racial justice analysis can entirely ignore colonization and land theft	anti-black oppression
Decolonizing Racism	Academic article	addresses the disconnects between racism and genocide (anti-racist work is not the same as anti-colonial/anti-genocide)	canada
Recognizing Indigenous Pacific Struggles in the Lei at Selma	Blog post	post about intersection of black liberation and pacific decolonization struggles, coming out of selma	hawai’i, black liberation,
Many resources by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
Interview with Leanne Simpson about Idle No More	Magazine article	Looks at the movement work of Idle No More, fighting resource extraction, honoring life,	Canada, climate
Scot Nakagawa: Blackness Is The Fulcrum The Other Side of Anti-Black Racism On Solidarity, “Centering Anti-Blackness,” and Asian Americans The Language of Anti-Racism A Rising Tide or a Flood?

Decolonization as it relates to labor and economic justice

Title

Type of reading

Brief Description

Active Decolonizing Organizers + Projects

Idle No More (link) (facebook)
Zapatistas/EZLN (one of many facebook pages) (wikipedia)
Táala Hooghan infoshop in “Flagstaff, AZ”
Indigenous Action media
Sogorea Te Land Trust in “Oakland, CA”

Check out the map!

decol projects.png

Title	Location (settler names)	Brief Description
Land + housing sovereignty
Sogorea Te Land Trust - IPOC	East Bay Area, California	Working in the context of not having federal recognition as a tribe, in the context of the super gentrifying/expensive Bay Area, history of Spanish mission-based colonization Part of the vision of the land trust is to rebury Ohlone remains that are currently in UC Berk (lots of info here)
Thunder Valley CDC; Regenerative Community Housing Development on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation	Pine Ridge, SD	Six of the eleven poorest counties in all of America are in South Dakota and they are all on Indian Reservations. The poverty in these communities is historic, generational poverty, that is largely kept out of sight and out of mind of national audiences. On Pine Ridge, the Oglala Lakota community is coming together to take hold of their future. This project will explore and refine new ways of living that build on traditional Lakota values to develop innovative, homegrown Native solutions to a variety of challenges
White Earth Land Recovery Project; Honor the Earth	White Earth, MN	The mission of the White Earth Land Recovery Project is to facilitate the recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening our spiritual and cultural heritage.
Little Earth of United Tribes	Minneapolis, MN	Native-preference low-income housing community, is developing plans for enterprises that will foster economic growth, provide employment in their community, and create income streams for the nonprofit parent organization. Their first effort will be a community-owned food truck specializing in indigenous foods.
Energy + resource sovereignty
Black Mesa Water Coalition	AZ	Dedicated to preserving and protecting Mother Earth and the integrity of Indigenous Peoples' cultures, with the vision of building sustainable and healthy communities. BMWC strives to empower young people while building sustainable communities. No coal and environmental justice program goals: to hold Peabody Coal Company accountable for the damage done to Black Mesa’s water, environment, and community health; to permanently close the coalmines on Black Mesa; and to replace the coal-fired power plants fed by the Black Mesa mines with renewable energy. Part of Climate Justice Alliance
Food + agricultural sovereignty
Native American Natural Foods	Kyle, SD	Native-owned all-natural buffalo meat snacks company that is expanding sales rapidly across the nation, and that plans to begin transitioning to employee ownership. They are also working to return of buffalo to Indian communities on the Great Plains and hope to support the formation of a producer cooperative in the future.
Intertribal Agriculture Council	multiple locations; technical assistance provided in many regions	To provide a unified effort to promote change in Indian Agriculture for the benefit of Indian People. The Intertribal Agriculture Council conducts a wide range of programs designed to further the goal of improving Indian Agriculture. The IAC promotes the Indian use of Indian resources and contracts with federal agencies to maximize resources for tribal members.
Wozupi	Prior Lake, MN	Wozupi is an organic farm committed to growing food in a way that nourishes the earth, the community, and people’s minds and bodies. Using environmentally-sustainable and fair labor practices, we grow vegetables, herbs and fruit, produce eggs, honey, and maple syrup, and provide educational, therapeutic, and fun opportunities at the farm and through community outreach. The majority of our products are certified organic, and our vegetables and herbs are in transition to become organic.We are owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally-recognized, sovereign Indian tribe, located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Since opening in 2010, Wozupi, which means “garden” in the Dakota Language, has encompassed the tribe’s focus on being a good neighbor, good employer, and good steward of the earth.
Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative	IA	(MFSI) is the umbrella name for all the local and traditional foods initiatives on the Settlement. MFSI has two main focuses: Education and outreach around food system control Development of sustainable local farms and farmers Work done under the MFSI includes: Red Earth Gardens The Community Garden/Grower's Cooperative Work by AmeriCorps VISTAs (Senior Garden, Meskwaki Settlement School Garden, various cooking and gardening workshops, etc.)
Red Earth Gardens		a tribally owned and operated commercial farm that grows a diversity of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Future goals for Red Earth Gardens include: Becoming self-sustaining and profitable on a regional scale. Promoting local food production as a means toward healthier and sustainable lifestyles within the Meskwaki community.
Native Harvest	White Earth, MN	We work to continue, revive, and protect our native seeds, heritage crops, naturally grown fruits, animals, wild plants, traditions and knowledge of our indigenous and land-based communities; for the purpose of maintaining and continuing our culture and resisting the global, industrialized food system that can corrupt our health, freedom, and culture through inappropriate food production and genetic engineering.
Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance	multiple locations; headquarters in Longmont, CO	Overall, the goal of NAFSA is to develop a national movement that gives voice to issues of Native food-system control and policy development, and which serves as a strong network for collaboration among various organizations engaged in Native food-system control. The organizers see the new entity as crucial in the areas of health, nutrition and cultural identity, of course, but also believe the reclaiming of control over Native food systems will promote further economic development in Native communities.
Garden Warriors to Good Seeds: Indigenizing the Local Food Movement	multiple locations; including: MN, WI, AZ, NM, CA, OR, WA, NY, OK, NB, SD
Economic sovereignty, community building, + cultural preservation
Spokane Tribal Enterprises	Wellpinit, WA	Plans to transition a tribally owned Trading Post to cooperative ownership, as a way to revitalize the business and provide healthy, affordable food as well as a community gathering place on the reservation.
Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA)	Portland, OR	Plan to create a holding company that will oversee their existing for-profit social ventures, helping them move toward creating an integrated network of employee-owned green businesses in their community.
Learning/Action Lab for Community Wealth Building	multiple project sites: Minnesota, South Dakota, Oregon and Washington	technical assistance provider; The Learning/Action Lab for Community Wealth Building is a collaboration spearheaded by The Democracy Collaborative and supported by the Northwest Area Foundation, designed to help Native American communities better engage in comprehensive community economic development. Working with organizations in Minnesota, South Dakota, Oregon and Washington, this intensive training, advisory, education, and business development program empowers participants to build and retain wealth by developing effective strategies that foster ownership of enterprise, increase access to local assets, and create and anchor jobs locally.
Oyate Nipi Kte		501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the recovery of Dakota traditional knowledge, including Dakota language, spirituality, ecology, oral tradition and life ways; to developing initiatives for sustainable living based on a Dakota environmental ethic; to facilitating an understanding of the harmful effects of colonization; and, to empowering individuals and collective communities to more effectively resist colonization and strengthen Dakota nationhood. Fiscal sponsor for Makoce Ikikcupi (Land Recovery)
4Rs Youth Movement	Canada	4 Rs: Respect, Reciprocity, Reconciliation, Relevance. This organization tries to change settler-indigenous relationships

Indigenous community development organizations, networks, and databases

Network for Native Futures

How to Develop Indigenous Economies

Mike Myers is the founder and CEO of Network for Native Futures, a Native non-profit that works with Indigenous nations, communities and organizations internationally. The network's mission is to support sustainable development and nation re-building through providing of technical assistance, training and consulting

Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP)

is a membership-based organization that promotes reciprocity and investment in, with and for Native peoples to build healthy and sustainable communities for all. All are welcome to join the NAP circle. Anyone and everyone who is interested in including Native peoples in creating deep and long-lasting impact, systemic and sustainable change in all of our communities. NAP is a powerful and growing network of Native and non-Native nonprofits, tribal communities, foundations and community leaders committed to engaging, learning and sharing resources and best practices grounded the Native tradition of reciprocity.

First Nations Development Institute

Our mission is to strengthen American Indian economies to support healthy Native communities. We invest in and create innovative institutions and models that strengthen asset control and support economic development for American Indian people and their communities. We believe that when armed with the appropriate resources, Native Peoples hold the capacity and ingenuity to ensure the sustainable, economic, spiritual and cultural well-being of their communities.

The Native CDFI Network’s mission is to be a national voice and advocate that strengthens and promotes Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs), creating access to capital and resources for Native peoples.

Indian Land Tenure Foundation

Originated in the 1990s when a group of concerned Indian landowners, land rights advocates, and tribal leaders came together to do something about the serious problems affecting Indian land tenure—the terms and conditions by which Indians hold land. From their own experiences living and working in Indian Country, these individuals saw firsthand the many challenges and injustices Indian people were facing in respect to the ownership and management of their lands.
Economic Opportunity Strategy Indian Country has seen funding sources come and go over the past 100 years with largely unsuccessful efforts to reduce poverty and prevent further loss of Indian land. The Indian land tenure community looks to ILTF to help fix the economic imbalance plaguing tribal communities and restore Indian use and control of Indian land. Economic development and improved returns on land will create a sustainable Indian land tenure system on reservations and stronger communities. Both tribes and individual Indian landowners must acquire the economic knowledge and skills to eradicate poverty on reservations and strengthen Indian self-determination.
Land Issues

Indigenous Environmental Network (link) (facebook)
I-Collective: “An autonomous group of Indigenous chefs, activists, herbalists, seed, and knowledge keepers, the I-Collective strives to open a dialogue and create a new narrative that highlights not only historical Indigenous contributions, but also promotes our community's resilience and innovations in gastronomy, agriculture, the arts, and society at large.”

Federal programs

CDFI Fund's Native Initiatives are designed to overcome identified barriers to financial services in Native Communities. These initiatives seek to increase the access to credit, capital and financial services in Native Communities through the creation and expansion of CDFIs primarily serving Native Communities.
The Land Buy-Back Program is working to consolidate fractionated lands and immediately restore them to tribal trust ownership. Since December of last year, we have transferred the equivalent of more than 31,000 acres to Tribes. Tribes can then use this land to benefit their communities – for example, to build homes, community centers or businesses, or for cultural or environmental preservation.