Akiing: Land Back Initiative Akiing has deep roots in land restoration, built on the legacy of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, which began in 1983 to reclaim lands taken illegally during the Nelson Act and the rise of the Weyerhaeuser empire. Founded in 2019, Akiing focused on purchasing land outside the reservation, specifically in the 1855 treaty territory, to support the restoration of Anishinaabe culture and economy. Akiing's first land purchases, in Hubbard and Aitken Counties, laid the groundwork for crucial water protection work around the proposed Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline. The land in Hubbard County was donated to the Switchboard Trainers Network in 2019 for an educational camp, and became Namewag, an educational camp, while the second parcel became the Welcome Water Protector Center near Palisade, supporting Indigenous-led efforts to protect water rights. Akiing’s next focus was restoring the traditional Anishinaabe economy through agricultural land near our reservation. With the help of donors like the Taintachi Foundation, One Earth CERES Trust, and Do Our Part, Kalleopeia and other individual donors, we secured land and buildings for solar thermal manufacturing, the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute, and an emergent Hemp cooperative.

Pine Point Expansion In 2025

Akiing deepened work in the village of Pine Point, collaborating with the Pine Point Community Council in both the development of the Pine Point Solar Project/Resilience hub and also the development of long-term strategic planning for the village for resilience and well-being. Our village suffers from a great deal of trauma, from both our historic abuse, and our present challenges of the onslaught of industrial agriculture/ potato farming surrounding our village. As a way to challenge that, Akiing, working with sister organization Anishinaabe Agriculture, has purchased lands on the south side of the village, just off the reservation border. This includes s, the offices of Anishinaabe Agriculture and the Indigenous Hemp Cooperative, lands which are farmed that were formerly owned by RDO Offutt, the industrial potato farmer, and now new lands we are planning to purchase which will double our land holdings and allow us to expand our farm work. This consolidates land holdings, and protects the village from more industrial agriculture exposure while allowing us to build and restore sustainable agriculture.