Restoring the land to her original caretakers as an ultimate gift

Two Cape Cod men made the generous decision to donate their property including homes to NLC. Both had one thing in common, the idea that the land their homes were built upon was never really theirs to begin with.

 “It really isn’t my land. It never really was,” said Craig Simpson who turned the keys to his Cotuit cottage over to the NLC on his own 76th birthday in April of 2022. It was something he had been thinking about for a long time.

Craig Simpson

Similarly, Jeff Schwartz made a decision to will his Harwich home to the NLC. "I live on stolen land, in a nation with wealth built on the backs of slaves." said Jeff who believes in three Rs of land conservation, reciprocity, reparation, and restoration.

Jeff Schwartz at home in Harwich.

The 62 year old renewable energy analyst doesn’t plan on passing over anytime soon, but he won’t be taking anything with him and feels the best legacy of his life would be to assure his two-bedroom Cape on just under a half-acre of property is restored to the rightful caretakers of the land.

For Jeff his reciprocity comes in knowing that the NLC will ultimately make the best use of the land. He believes it is but a small reparation to the Wampanoag people through the NLC and supports the ongoing work to restore tribal ancestral homelands.

Both he and Craig are giving the land and homes with no restrictions.

“They can do whatever is best with it when I’m gone, even sell it to buy back other land.” Craig, a retired schoolteacher is a minimalist who doesn’t have a car, lives in a Dorchester co-op in one room where he says he really doesn’t need much. His life, he says, is comfortable and secure.

He owned the Cotuit house that he visited only on rare occasions and mostly maintained to rent out to friends in the summer. He said the two-bedroom cottage on just shy of an acre of land became a bit of an albatross and he was ready to pass it on but wanted to do it in a way that would be meaningful.

“I went to the Mashpee Powwow and found the Native Land Conservancy table and I was there for an hour,” said Craig. Impressed with how the indigenous run organization was rescuing and caring for land he said, “As soon as I walked away I knew, this is where I want to give my house.” 

Craig had purchased the property in the early 1990s and expected he would grow to be more comfortable in the Cape community, but his life has really become focused in the city. As a member of Mass Peace Action he is active in what he calls the climate movement, and also anything social justice related. “I guess you could say I’m a liberal,” he said with a chuckle.

He felt he didn’t need the small income the property afforded him and he wanted to downsize his life. Friends tried to persuade him otherwise but, inspired by the Land Back movement in Indian country Craig was seeking some degree of solidarity with indigenous people and was sure he was making the right move.

His initial thought was to sign an agreement that would pass the land on to NLC when he died but the notion that he didn’t need the land or the house nagged at him.

“It really isn’t my land. It never was,” he said. He honestly could not think of a reason for the land transfer to wait until he died. “I’m very happy with my decision and my life,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thought that the conservancy is going to use the land in a good way.”

Jeff is hoping that what he and Craig have done to return land to indigenous causes will become a trend, “I have this privilege to do this and now it’s all about finding people who want to engage in this conversation. Reparations will look different for every person, but there is something we all can do.”

If you a interested in following in Jeff and Craig’s footsteps, consider learning more about donating your home here.