Indigenous Land Relations Lesson

In this lesson, students will learn about contemporary indigenous peoples and the ways they interact with the environment. Through the examples of the Iroquois, Tonga, Ainu, Noonga, Inca, and Sami people, students will learn about how responding to the needs and realities of the land and following traditional cultural guidance fosters sustainable practices. Through engaging with the histories and current realities of these peoples, students will understand the impact of settler colonialism on the ability of indigenous people to steward their ancestral lands. Collectively this information will allow students to conceptualize a way of relating to land and a set of sustainability practices outside of hegemonic Western “green” ideas.