Cordova, AK – Last week, NDN Collective through our community development arm, NDN Holdings, finalized a LANDBACK deal with the Eyak Community Land Trust in Alaska and transferred title to two acres of land back to the Eyak people.
In October 2021, NDN Collective was made aware of an opportunity to purchase land along Eyak Lake on the southern coast of the state. NDN Holdings purchased the land and began working with the Eyak community to transfer ownership.
As of this week, the two acre property will now be wholly owned by Eyak Community Land Trust, which was established in collaboration with Native Conservancy, and be used by the community to host cultural and ecological education workshops. The community plans to put a sacred totem pole on the property, making it the first time in over 150 years a totem has been set in this area.
Through NDN Holdings our team was able to help facilitate the passing of this land back into the hands of the Eyak people. NDN Holdings offers power building support, project management services, and technical assistance to help propel projects like this forward for our Relatives.
The Eyak Lake deal demonstrates the success of LANDBACK projects, returning sacred lands to Indigenous People.
“This LANDBACK project is a win for Mother Earth and Indigenous communities everywhere. These sacred lands will be returned to the Eyak people through the Eyak Community Land Trust,” saidRobby Burroughs, Managing Director of NDN Holdings. “The Eyak people will be able to utilize these lands for generations to come. NDN Collective is grateful to be a catalyst, directly supporting and facilitating this LANDBACK opportunity.”
“Securing our sacred lands back is critical, because it was all taken away from us. We now have a space for cultural restoration, gatherings, and healing ceremonies on our ancestral land,” saidDune Lankard, an elder with Eyak Community Land Trust. “NDN Collective’s support of our Eyak people has been the difference between dreaming and our dreams coming true. The possibilities for our Eyak cultural revitalization are endless and no longer in our imagination.”