#and not hindering any of their plans for soveriengty land revitalization etc

[neechees]

got recs for people who don't want to live in cities and don't have the resources to move countries? im disabled, cities are HELL on me for reasons i dont have space to discuss, so ive always wanted to move to the country w/ abt 10 friends and build a small self sustaining community. I recognize from ur sources now that thats colonialist and racist, but im in poverty and cant immigrate to somewhere where it wouldnt be, do u have recs for what i can do instead to accomodate w/o being colonialist?

I’m not sure moving to the Country to make a self-sustaining community is actually a good idea. What about rural life makes you think it’s easier, even if you plan to be “self sustaining”? Part of the reason I liked living in the city was because of ease of access to things (of course I’m also coming from an abled perspective on this). When you live rurally, you have to 

have access to transportation in some way, meaning a driver and a vehicle OR your own, because half the time you’re miles out from things that you need

a gas station & possible auto repair or place to buy items you need somewhat nearby for said vehicle

once you have the previous two you have to ALSO drive everywhere to get things or for help. Living rural means you may not have quick, direct access to important things that being “self sustaining” can’t exactly help you with, like a hospital or dentist or psychologist or a vet for any pets, or a pharmacy, or a bank, or anywhere else you might need to do your everyday business. There’s also the offchance of things happening where being close to things like a retail store, a mechanic, a firehouse etc is helpful. Shit happens and sometimes its harder to get help with those things when you’re not in a city or a town. And I know you said you want to be “self sustaining” but like being near a grocery store or having access to even a corner store is extremely helpful. And driving longer to get access to those things means paying more for gas.

Like if you’re miserable in the city, I don’t feel like you’re gunna be happier in the country, you’re probably gunna be miserable some other way (or maybe even the same way) in the Country. Like I live on the rez next to the bush and I feel like most people romanticize rural life when they have no idea what it’s actually like, and sometimes it’s inconvenient and annoying. And if you’re disabled that’s something else to consider if you have any specific requirements or aids for that disability. Like moving to the Country might actually make things WORSE, there’s poor people in the Country too. 

My own Mother, growing up, her family had gardened their own food on the rez, my Moosum and uncles hunted regularly for food, my Moosum trapped cougars and lynxes to sell their furs for money, my mom and aunties had to work as teenagers & some of them got welfare when they were able to. When my mom was young sometimes they would use their horses and a wagon to travel places instead of by truck, but even then my mom got into mechanics to try and upkeep the vehicle themselves. Before that my Kohkum was poor and THEY did the same thing and they literally lived in a Cabin my Moosum built himself next to the lake. They lived rurally and were as self-sustaining as they could have possibly been and they were still poor. Even when I was a kid there was like at least 15 of us living in one house with 5 bedrooms. I don’t really presently have any advice for you other than to not to it because I’m pretty sure trying to live in the Countryside isn’t actually the solution to poverty, but if anything might actually make things more inconvenient.