The question I have about settlers like me and the lands we supposedly "belong" to is how far back that belonging actually goes.

I'm of primarily British descent, but 1,500 years ago there was no Britain. What are now the British Isles had repeated migrations of various Celts, Saxons and Normans that all intermingled to create what eventually became Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland and in turn the modern UK.

So with that in mind, do I belong in what's now France, what's now Scotland or what's now Germany? European history is rife with these sorts of migrations and movements. There are aspects of it in other parts of the world like Africa, given how the Arabic heritage in its northern part came from a long series of conquests that originally expanded even into Spain before the Reconquista.

I don't say this to dispute the origins of the Indigenous nations of the Americas or the bonds they have with their lands-indeed, I've persistently argued for recognizing their rights and governance. The problem is that, from everything I've seen, determining where settler people "belong" isn't as simple as it seems.