land back.
a reciprocal restoration, printed onto what we wear. traded, shared, loved together.
the land back movement is the active restoration of reciprocal relationships between people and Country.
In 2025 I had the words ‘land back’ tattooed on my arm. I had it done on Arrernte Country. I was called there by ancestors, and I went with the support of my partner. Three, urrpetye, things called the words to be with me forever, and my continued hope is that it will grow with me as a movement (to which I subscribe, and of its own).
First, cultural reclamation. Second, as a connective tissue to its activist sentiment. Third, as a reminder of my commitment to a goal bigger than me.
That goal embodies a way of being for me that has been hard found. It encompasses what I want to see, how I want to act, what I want to manifest, in the active sense, and how I want to be seen.
The mark is on my skin so it stays with me. But it provides a literal glimpse into the life, beliefs, and values I wish to embody. It’s not a slogan to shout at others. At most it is a conversation starter, if noticed by others. It’s firmly a reminder for the body that wears it, made on the Country that called for it, witnessed by the person who walks alongside me living the practices it invites. We wish for a state of ‘land back’ in so many meaningful ways.
Then I reclaimed a drawing I made of the rainbow serpent at 2 years old, spent a good amount of time re-creating it (maybe we should do a 2yo throwback tee at some point) on Country. Today, we’re here. Want to read more about my take on land back? You’re in the right place.
everything here is made at cost: our print, post, and trade. when you enquire, we settle it together. we accept koha: a reciprocal exchange, or money if you like.
three designs from Country.
what at cost actually means.
this is a hoodie, broken into the actual money we spend to put it on a body. there’s no margin in it, and no surprise in it either.
things people ask.
is this a shop? how do i order?
no checkout, you send an enquiry (that thing in the top right of the navigation menu, its a bit like a cart), we reply in a couple of days and settle together (koha / reciprocal / money).
what does “at cost” mean?
we charge what it costs us: blank, print, packaging, postage, a living-wage set-aside. No margins, as the breakdown shows.
some pieces aren´t straightforward to price at cost. the work behind them might be custom, commissioned, or carries a story that belongs to someone.
the (throw)back tee is one of those: the design has a personal history, and what goes into making it for you is worth a yarn before we settle a number. the price shown is still indicative not a rack price.
what if cost or postage is a barrier?
enquire! we’d rather find a way than have you go without.
what are Country and Whenua?
Country is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concept. Whenua is a Māori word. they are not the same thing and they come from different peoples, different places, different laws. however, land is a living relative, not a resource. this is shared between our cultures.
country is the web of relationships between people, place, ancestors, and everything that exists there including sky, water, story, law. Whenua is land and placenta in the same word. you come from it. you return to it.
both are the opposite of the colonial capitalist idea that land is property.
is this for me, even if I’m not Māori, Aboriginal, or Torres Strait Islander?
yes. these garments travel to many Countries. we made them knowing that.
if you are Māori, Whenua is already in your whakapapa. if you are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, Country is already in your body. this is just us saying: we see it.
if you are neither you are still on land and still come from land. probably on land that was never ceded. you live inside this kaupapa, whether or not you have had words for it yet. wearing it is not about identity. it is about where you stand.
against colonial capitalist frames of property. toward reciprocal relationship to land, water, sea and sky.
i am not sure about this?
that’s fair. these spaces can be hard to navigate. we can all (us especially) get it wrong sometimes.
language around land, sovereignty, and Indigenous cultures shift across many places and spaces, even in our own mob/iwi. it is contested. it is personal.
we are always learning, and we do not claim to have it right.
if something we’ve written, designed, or communicated sits wrong with you we would rather hear it. not to defend ourselves, but because your voice matters to us.
hit contact above and let’s yarn about it.
what counts as koha or a reciprocal exchange?
Koha is broader than a financial exchange.
it is about giving something of value in return; here value is yours to define. People have offered skills, time, a meal, a piece of their own work, manaakitanga, a donation to a cause we share, or just a genuine conversation about the kaupapa.
there’s no set rate and no wrong answer. the only thing we’d ask is that it’s real.
not sure what feels right? hit contact above. let’s yarn about it.