On the myth of the untouched wilderness and recognizing Indigenous sovereignty Robyn Kimmerer, professor, mother, scientist, and member of the Potawatomi nation, reminds us in her book Braiding Sweetgrass that the plants and animals of Turtle Island are the first teachers; the plants and animal inhabitants taught the first humans who landed on the continent how to live and how to grow. In many communities, they still do. Since time immemorial, these teachings have been incorporated into our distinct cultures, languages, technologies, artworks and land and water-based-stewardship practices. This intergenerational knowledge isn’t mystical. It is practiced, practical, and far more sustainable than the lifestyles spread by imperialism. Intergenerational knowledge and place based relationships are sophisticated, carried by families and adapted and modified from generation to generation. This helps meet the needs of Indigenous communities while imparting respect for our relations, human and nonhuman, living and yet to live. And yet, the myth of the untouched wilderness, continually fostered by white environmentalists like John Muir, has erased the relationships between Indigenous peoples and place since the myth’s violent inception. The myth of the untouched wilderness has always excluded and ostracized Indigenous peoples and our relationships to place. In order to uphold the values of sustainability, it is the responsibility of non-Indigenous communities to center the needs and follow the leadership of those Indigenous to the land, most importantly by giving land back.