Uncolonizing vs. Decolonizing

Un-colonizing is the work settlers (people of European descent) and non-Indigenous peoples can do internally to distance and detach from colonial ways of thinking, relating, and being on the land. Decolonizing is “a massive revolution to remove all people not native to stolen land, back to their land of origin, and returning government control, community control, resources, processes, and sovereignty to Indigenous peoples” (Rodriguez, 2020).

The inner work of settler un-colonizing, gives space for actual decolonizing efforts led by Indigenous peoples.

They are not the same thing. When we use the term decolonizing as a buzzword for all social justice we turn it into a metaphor that detracts from actual efforts to return lands to Indigenous peoples and recognize their sovereignty to govern it, and themselves.