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Q&A: Rematriation and Indigenous Land Stewardship in Eastern Kentucky [1]

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Date: 2025-04-04

Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.

In January, the Appalachian Rekindling Project made news for its strategic purchase of acreage in eastern Kentucky to block a controversial proposed prison development. The organization has a broader mission in the region to restore land, relationships and traditions through Indigenous-led care and collective vision, funded through a voluntary land tax.

Enjoy this conversation with Appalachian Rekindling Project co-founders, Taysha DeVaughen and Tiffany (she asked only her first name be used for personal reasons), about the idea of rematriation, and why a carcel construction would be a threat not just to the community, but to the land it stands on.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Appalachian Rekindling Project co-founders Tiffany and Taysha walking on land their group has rematriated to Indigenous care. (Photo by Anna Mullins.)

Kim Kobersmith, The Daily Yonder: Recently, you purchased property in eastern Kentucky, how does that fit into your broader mission? Why is it important for you all to be involved in resisting prison construction?

Appalachian Rekindling Project: Our mission has always been rooted in the care and protection of land and in the wellbeing of those on the land. The proposed prison, Federal Correctional Institution Letcher, was a threat to the land, to the endangered species on that land, and to the community’s health. The proposed prison, which included a labor camp in its proposal, is in our view an abusive relationship between people and land. We are obligated by our values to stand against that. We are obligated to defend land that has been harmed by strip mining so severely already. We are obligated to restore land because that is what the land deserves. Not further gutting. Not carceral construction. Our vision for that land is one of restorative care and creating opportunities for local people.

DY: You talk a lot about the idea of “rematriation.” Can you explain what that is and why it is your framework for action?

ARP: Rematriation is an Indigenous women-led practice of returning land to Indigenous care. This Indigenous care is a sacred relationship. We did not create this term, but it resonates deeply with us. It says the sacred relationship to the land deserves to be named and it honors the matriarchal governance structures original to several of the region’s Tribes.

DY: Why is your work necessary in central Appalachia? What is the current status of Native tribes in the region?

ARP: Many places in central Appalachia are spaces of Indigenous erasure. There are entire states that say much of Appalachian land was just a hunting ground, never an Indigenous home. Of course, that isn’t true. It is a convenient absence taught to keep Native land out of Native hands, to open it up for extraction and exploitation. There are obviously tribes in the region and others that have been removed or are in diaspora. There is also a deep loneliness expressed by those living outside their tribal home community. We know Native youth deserve to inherit a future in central Appalachia that isn’t lonely. We aim to be part of that.

DY: You have been gifted 15 acres of land in Virginia for the creation of an intertribal center. What is your vision for the center? How far along are you?

ARP: The land in Virginia is beautiful, untouched by industry. Our work there is to hold it well and to establish a center that can host Indigenous people in need of a space to stay, create together, and practice our traditions. We invite non-Natives to be a part of plant work with us when it is time, but the center is to fill a need in the area for Natives to be on the land and in community without a cost burden. We are working to put in an access road and establish powwow grounds this year, but the center is being very thoughtfully planned, and we have to prepare infrastructure so it will take time.

DY: You generate funds for your work through a voluntary land tax. How does that work? Can you give some examples of people or organizations supporting you that way?

ARP: A voluntary land tax is a way that people can support this work sustainably. We encourage people to think about who’s land you are on, and if you’re paying monthly rent, what would it be like to add an extra bit to make sure Native people can have a place reserved here. The calculation is a sliding scale and the amounts are only a recommendation, but it allows people to have a direct relationship with our mission. The donations hold up our work, creating a space that will be shared collectively.

We have many donors and most give between $10-30 a month. Some give as little as $1.75. Some organizations give thousands. It is steady and relational. We model after other initiatives that use this mechanism to fund Indigenous land care that is not federally funded. It gives our donors an active role in repairing harm and separation that has occurred in the region.

This interview first appeared in Path Finders, a weekly email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each Monday, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Join the mailing list today, to have these illuminating conversations delivered straight to your inbox.

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[1] Url: https://dailyyonder.com/qa-rematriation-and-indigenous-land-stewardship-in-eastern-kentucky/2025/04/04/

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