Land Connects Us (LCU) is an interdisciplinary collective of Indigenous and allied artists, curators, educators, researchers, knowledge holders, activists, and community members committed to community-based, participatory work that uplifts Indigenous knowledge systems and the interconnected relationships between Land, Language, Arts, Culture, and community.

Rooted in Indigenous values of reciprocity, relationality, and self-determination, LCU supports and fosters the continuity and resurgence of Indigenous languages, lifeways, food sovereignty, cultural practices, and land stewardship across Turtle Island and beyond. We believe that the Land is a living teacher, connecting peoples, stories, histories, and futures across territories and borders.

Our work creates opportunities for collaboration, research, creative expression, cultural exchange, and community engagement that center Indigenous voices, lived experiences, and ways of knowing. We are dedicated to supporting Indigenous artists, knowledge holders, activists, students, and changemakers at all stages of their journeys, while building meaningful relationships between communities, generations, and disciplines.

LCU is especially committed to uplifting Indigenous youth, emerging artists, and the leadership of Two-Spirit, LGBTQIA2S+, and racialized artists, activists, scholars, and cultural workers. Through collective action, knowledge sharing, and creative practice, we seek to nurture thriving Indigenous futures grounded in cultural continuity, environmental responsibility, and the protection of lands, waters, and all our relations.

We envision a future where Indigenous knowledge systems are celebrated, sustained, and empowered; where communities have the resources and support to strengthen their languages, cultures, and relationships to the Land; and where art, research, and activism serve as pathways for connection, healing, justice, and collective flourishing.

The Initiative.

Land Connects Us is an initiative of Planting the Seeds of Cultural Continuity, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and led by Dr. Joshua Schwab-Cartas.

Joshua Schwab-Cartas is a Zapotec academic whose ongoing research projects focus on language revitalization and community-led capacity building in collaboration with indigenous communities.