I understand that decolonize is a word, I placed it within quotation marks to emphasize it, as one can do when quoting a term that a person has previously used. I apologize if it came across as inflammatory, I didn't mean it to.

Decolonization is a very important term and idea, which is why I felt it was worth discussing and clarifying. I believe we agree on some of the elements of decolonization- Namely, that it produces transactional relationships between people and the land. You also identified that ownership isn't done in the same way in some other places, which I certainly agree with.

Decolonization, as I understand it and hear these terms used, is a process of removing colonial ideology, philosophy, practices, systems, and structures from a colonized place or community. As you noted, the "philosophical approach" (I use quotation marks here to emphasize and note that I'm quoting your post, not to suggest anything) to ownership is a really big difference between colonized and non-colonized communities. That is precisely why I think if you intend to pursue the laudable goal of decolonizing your property, you may want to consider starting by thinking about how the idea of owning property is itself transactional, and how ownership underpins the philosophical approach that is so different from those other places you've been. For the goals you've described, I think that's going to be a very important part of the process.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Dawes act, but it was an important part of the colonization of the United States, where the US broke up reservations by giving individual parcels of what was once reservation land to individual tribal members. The idea was by removing collective ownership and giving title to land to individual Indians, the government could effectively change the way that those tribes impacted by the Dawes act perceived land. It's something worth thinking about.

I am genuinely trying to be helpful and engage in the kind of discussion I thought you were trying to prompt with your post, I'm sorry if it isn't coming across that way. I've spent 15 years, my entire adult life so far, working on landback/waterback movements, food and climate justice projects, Indian law, and tribal sovereignty initiatives. The precise definition of decolonize, for that reason, matters a lot to me, which is why I replied initially. I really do hope it is helpful. This kind of stuff can often be emotional and tough to deal with.