Initiative
Sacred Contract
Pathways for Land beyond ownership
Sacred Contract has been laying the groundwork for a transformative intervention in private property for more than four years. In June 2025, we crossed a historic threshold with the first mountain in what is now the United States to legally “own itself.” This collaboration between the Center for Ethical Land Transition, the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, and Regenerative Earth challenges a core logic of colonization—private property—by advancing legal pathways rooted in the Rights of Nature movement. Through unincorporated associations and complementary legal tools, Land is recognized as holding title to itself, with an Indigenous-led Guardianship Council serving as the living voice of the Land.
Sacred Contract has been laying the groundwork for a transformative intervention in private property for more than four years. In June 2025, we crossed a historic threshold with the first mountain in what is now the United States to legally “own itself.” This collaboration between the Center for Ethical Land Transition, the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights, and Regenerative Earth challenges a core logic of colonization—private property—by advancing legal pathways rooted in the Rights of Nature movement. Through unincorporated associations and complementary legal tools, Land is recognized as holding title to itself, with an Indigenous-led Guardianship Council serving as the living voice of the Land.
