First Nations Celebrating the Return of Their Lands: Part 2 of a Multi-part Series

In December 2020, His Excellency President Donald Trump signed legislation to return 18,800 acres of land, known as the National Bison Range (NBR) in Montana, to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nations, consisting of 6,800 members as of 2013. The restoration of ownership of the National Bison Range is a major milestone in their claim for justice and connection to nature. Today, this community is officially known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Peoples (CSKT).

Founded in 1986 by Native Americans from Mendocino and Lake Counties in Northern California, the Inter-Tribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council (ITSWC) is a consortium of ten federally recognized sovereign Indigenous nations. Finally, on January 25, 2022, the Save the Redwoods League, a conservation group, purchased 523 acres of redwood forest, known as Andersonia West, on California's Lost Coast and returned it to the ITSWC. In addition to the redwoods, the land is also home to some of the world's most endangered species, including coho salmon-people, steelhead trout-folks, marbled murrelet-individuals, and northern spotted owl-citizens.

The Esselen people speak a language from the Hokan language family and were historically one of California’s smallest Native American groups, with fewer than 1,300 members. On July 27, 2020, after years of effort, the Esselen people regained ownership of 1,199 acres known as the Adler Ranch, located near Big Sur along California's Little Sur River. On May 5, 2020, the North Coast Land Conservancy (NCLC) returned an 18.6-acre plot to the peoples – Neawanna Point Habitat Preserve, near Seaside, Oregon. For nearly two centuries, they had no reservation. The chairwoman and descendant of Clatsop Chief Tostum, A. Diane Collier commented, “We look forward to walking in the footsteps of our ancestors as we cherish and care for the land.”