Introductory Note

I received a sticker produced by “BRG – Birsmarc Ramu Group” in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. The sticker says

The Land is Not a Commodity—It is Life Itself

Across the lush highlands of Papua New Guinea, the forested slopes of the Solomons, and the sparkling shores of Vanuatu, land is not merely a patch of earth. It is the living heart of Melanesian identity. It is ancestry, memory, sustenance, and spirit interwoven. The campaign slogan “Land Is Life” is not a simple phrase to be chanted at rallies; it is the irreducible truth of Indigenous existence.

To view land as a commodity—something to be bought, sold, or traded—is to misunderstand its significance in Melanesian society. Land is a living record of lineage. It is the soil in which the bones of ancestors rest, marked by sacred stones and ancient trees that whisper stories across generations. When an Indigenous person or tribe sells their land, they are not just trading dirt for money. They are giving away their children’s future, their culture, and their dignity.

This is not only a Melanesian story, but a story echoed in Indigenous struggles worldwide. The land holds not just our history, but our sacred sites, our food, our medicine, and our language. Once it is gone, we are strangers in our own homeland—unmoored, adrift, and at the mercy of outside interests.

Selling Land = Selling Our Livelihood

For Indigenous Melanesians, land is not just property—it is the foundation of all life. It is the source of:

• Food: Gardens, hunting grounds, and fishing waters provide sustenance and nurture traditional diets, making communities self-sufficient.
• Medicine: A pharmacopeia of healing plants and the wisdom to use them is intimately tied to the land and its cycles.
• Economy: Land supports subsistence farming and local trade, providing security beyond the reach of fluctuating markets.
• Spirituality: Sacred sites and the presence of ancestors weave meaning and purpose into daily life.

When land is sold to corporations, foreign investors, or private buyers, Indigenous communities lose not just resources, but an entire way of being. They become dependent on cash—a fleeting resource that disappears as quickly as it arrives, leaving them with no gardens, no heritage, and no power. The economic benefits of selling land are seldom sustainable. What remains is often poverty, marginalization, and loss.

The True Cost of Selling Land

The decision to sell land may bring short-term financial relief, but the long-term consequences are devastating:

• Once the land is sold, it rarely returns to its original custodians. Generations are left landless, their rights erased.
• Communities lose control over natural resources—clean water, timber, fertile soil—and must pay to access what was once freely theirs.
• Traditional governance structures erode as outside interests impose their own rules, undermining Indigenous authority.

The transition from self-sufficiency to dependency is often swift and brutal. Where gardens and forests once stood, now there are mining pits, plantations, or vacant lots. The money runs out, but the wounds remain.

Selling Land = Selling Our Dignity

Land ownership is inseparable from identity and self-determination. The loss of land brings with it a cascade of tragedies:

• Loss of cultural knowledge: Elders can no longer teach traditions rooted in the landscape, and languages tied to specific places fade away.
• Broken communities: Displacement leads to social fragmentation, with rising rates of alcoholism, violence, and hopelessness.
• Dependence on outsiders: Without land, people are reduced to beggars in their own country, reliant on unstable forms of charity or aid.

Perhaps the gravest wound is spiritual. The land is our mother—a source of nourishment, wisdom, and belonging. To sell her is to sever the umbilical cord that connects past and future generations. It is a betrayal not just of ancestors, but of those not yet born.

Irreversible Loss: The Generational Impact

Selling land sets in motion a loss that is often permanent. Once customary land passes into the hands of outsiders, legal and bureaucratic barriers make its recovery nearly impossible. Entire generations may grow up untethered to their roots, their sense of belonging eroded. What is lost is not only physical territory, but the soul of a people.

The “Land Is Life” Movement: A Call for Unity and Resistance

Recognizing the dire stakes, Indigenous groups across Melanesia have begun to unite in defense of their ancestral lands. The Melanesian Land Defence Alliance (MLDA), Melanesian Spirit and Nature, and other Indigenous rights organizations serve as beacons of hope and resistance.

1. Strengthen Legal Protections

Laws must be enacted and enforced to protect Indigenous land:

• Ban or severely restrict the sale of customary land to non-Indigenous owners.
• Establish community land trusts, where land is collectively held and cannot be sold to outsiders.
• Champion legal mechanisms that recognize and respect customary tenure and traditional land rights.

Without robust legal frameworks, even the best intentions are vulnerable to exploitation by powerful interests.

2. Educate and Mobilize Communities

Awareness is a powerful tool. Indigenous groups must invest in:

• Grassroots campaigns that explain—in clear, honest terms—the irreversible consequences of selling land.
• Workshops and storytelling sessions led by elders who articulate the historical lessons and cultural values tied to land stewardship.
• Celebrating tribes that resisted land sales and thrived, providing living proof that sovereignty is sustainable.

Education arms communities against the seductive myths of easy money, reminding them of the true value of what they stand to lose.

3. Promote Sustainable Alternatives

Development need not mean dispossession. Instead, Indigenous communities can:

• Encourage land leasing rather than selling, allowing for development while maintaining ownership and control.
• Support eco-tourism, agroforestry, and traditional farming methods that generate income without compromising cultural integrity.
• Foster innovative partnerships with ethical investors who respect Indigenous rights and the sanctity of the land.

These alternatives ensure that economic opportunities do not come at the cost of cultural extinction.

4. Expose and Resist Exploitation

It is crucial to call out those who profit from Indigenous dispossession:

• Name and shame corrupt leaders, middlemen, and foreign corporations that pressure communities to sell.
• Organize peaceful protests, legal challenges, and media campaigns to raise awareness and demand justice.
• Build alliances with global Indigenous rights movements, amplifying local voices on the world stage.

Resistance, when united and relentless, can shift the balance of power.

Conclusion: The Land is Our Mother—We Must Protect Her

The “Land Is Life” movement is more than a slogan. It is a declaration of survival and a call to arms. Across Melanesia, Indigenous groups must recognize that unity is their greatest weapon. Once the land is sold, life as we know it is over—forever altered, never to return.

We must resist the lure of short-term gain and instead champion the cause of long-term sovereignty. The land does not belong to us; we belong to the land. If we sell it, we sell our souls, our stories, our very future.

The choice before us is stark: Will we be the generation that saved our land, or the one that betrayed it? The eyes of our ancestors and descendants are upon us.

#LandIsLife #MelanesiaRising #NoLandNoLife

by Wewo Kotokay, Melanesian Conservation Elders, Inc.