Recognition, healing, and co-stewardship: The case of landless tribes and conservation in California

Abstract

We develop the notion of “justice as healing” and draw on the concept of “recognition”, with its internal and external dimensions, to forge pathways towards healthier relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Our analysis is rooted in the case of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band of California (AMTB) – a non-federally recognised Indigenous Tribe that has experienced successive phases of genocide and assimilation by colonial powers of Spain, Russia, Mexico, and the United States. Combining qualitative research methods with Indigenous political theory, we present an environmental narrative of the AMTB that emphasises the ways the Tribe has resisted cultural assimilation and resource extraction since the late 1880s. We argue that recognition, together with Indigenous strategic engagement and coalition-building with settler entities, are important components to the healing journeys of Indigenous peoples in the United States, Latin America, and globally.