Decision-Makers: Dakota Bear and Land Back Records

Saskatoon-born, Vancouver-based hip-hop singer-songwriter and activist Dakota Bear practices what he preaches. His music label, Land Back Records, co-founded in 2022 with his partner in life and business, Casey Desjarlais, offers a range of opportunities for beginner and emerging Indigenous musicians: from launching their first projects and recording their debut songs, to performing at their first festivals. The label grew out of Decolonial Clothing, a company also owned and operated by Bear and Desjarlais, who refer to themselves as “Warrior Entrepreneurs.”

Select the image to access the CityTV News Vancouver interview with Land Back Records’s Dakota Bear

This concept, Bear, explains, has existed long before the enterprising couple decided to start a business together. “Indigenous people have always been entrepreneurs,” he says. “People had strong connections, and interconnected trade networks and routes that expanded all across Turtle Island,” adding that the term reflects how Indigenous people conducted business long before colonialism, and the theft of their lands.

Land Back – the name of their record company – is the term used by Indigenous communities and their allies to emphasize the right to reclaim and restore control over ancestral lands. It was carefully chosen by Bear and Desjarlais, but the words aren’t just a slogan. The couple aim to take land reclamation into their own hands, by using their business proceeds to purchase land they intend to use for Indigenous purposes.

“It’s been a dream for such a long time, and I’m hoping to fulfill that in the next five years.” says Bear. “To acquire land and build healing lodges on it, to bring community, and re-connect us to ceremony. To do it in a safe space where we’re allowed to exist, we’re allowed to learn, we’re allowed to grow, and there’s no looming threat of having that taken away.” Though these warrior entrepreneurs are working hard to achieve their goals, they also believe that whatever happens is ultimately up to Creator.

Already, Bear and Desjarlais have used a portion of their online Decolonial Clothing shop proceeds to fund their record company, and open a bricks-and-mortar store in Vancouver, where they also mentor Indigenous staff. “I want to continue to give back, and be there in a supportive role for others to seal their dreams, to encourage them to follow their passions,” he says. Bear has already personally mentored more than 100 Indigenous youth in business, and hopes that many will in turn mentor others. He’s contributing to what he hopes will be a “positive, ongoing effect for the next generations.”

Select the image to access behind-the-scenes cellphone footage of Land Back Records tour of Ontario

As a teen, Bear didn’t have the opportunity to be mentored, which is why he’s passionate about providing opportunities to Indigenous young people who want to play music but have no experience. Through Land Back Records, he mentors youth in making beats, recording, releasing songs, and navigating the distribution process, while also providing performance opportunities to showcase their talents. Bear also reminds urban Indigenous youth that ‘Land Back’ has a deeper meaning than just reclaiming land – it’s about going back and re-connecting to the land.

“Right now, a lot of us feel very disconnected to it, because we live in cities,” he says. “How we view the land, how we treat it, the reciprocity that it gives us, those are things we can do in our everyday life. I think it’s so essential, because the health of the land is linked to the health of the people. So, we need to focus on this relationship.”

Although the Indigenous entrepreneur is busy raising children with Desjarlais, running two businesses, and launching community events, he still makes time to nurture his relationship with music, and believes that being creative is a powerful force that brings people together.

“We have to make the time,” he says. “It’s a part of who we are and that’s a part of being human, and that’s what connects us all together.” These aren’t just words for Bear; he lives them. Through Land Back Records, he and Desjarlais launched the annual Turtle Island Festival, a free event that spotlights Indigenous music. The 2024 concert at Sunset Beach featured more than 20 artists, and drew an audience of over 7,000. They also launched the Land Back Nights concert series in 2024, held at Vancouver’s Fortune Sound Club.

While Bear enjoys performing at these festivals, his focus remains on his role as a connector and helper. “As people, we forget about ourselves, we forget to follow our passions, our creativity, and that’s what aligns us with our higher selves,” he says. “That’s what brings us joy in our lives, and when we fill our own cup, we can help. We can’t pour from an empty cup.”

Bear’s vision stretches beyond present-day Indigenous peoples. “We have to keep creating,” he says. “We have to continue to do things that make us happy. I always think about how I’m aligning my choices, the things I do, the decisions I make, that are going to respect the seven generations before, and the seven generations after.”