This initiative is seen as a crucial step towards reparations, aiming to foster dialogue and collaboration between Indigenous communities and various cultural and educational institutions. According to the IKC, the forest will serve as a tangible reminder of shared colonial history, providing a space for reflection, education, and recognition of past wrongs. They also argue that the realization of this Forest of Healing is an act of symbolically giving Land Back to Indigenous people. The Surinamese Indigenous peoples as well as the Indigenous peoples of Nusantara (the archipelago today known as Indonesia) literally had their land stolen by the Dutch empire and never since regained their sovereignty. For other Indigenous people in the Americas such as the Lenape-Munsee people, the Caquetío in the Caribbean or the Indigenous peoples of Potosi in Bolivia have been impacted by Dutch colonialism in different ways of colonial violence and so-called ‘trade’ of dispossession. Little has been done to recognize or repair loss and damages for Indigenous peoples impacted by Dutch colonialism in the past or colonial economic relations today. The Forest of Healing offers an opportunity for Indigenous diasporic people to find each other and repair knowledge, language, culture and relations. The vision is for collaborative ecological work to offer meaningful ways to contribute to tending to all relations by Indigenous and other parties. IKC imagines the forest to feature replicas of cultural houses created by Indigenous groups, providing spaces for cultural restoration and activities (IKC, 2025). The Forest of Healing will furthermore hold space to a knowledge centre, essentially the physical manifestation of the IKC: It will host the Indigenous Archive, which will be passed on by the NCIV, that has built it up since 1969, as well as workshops, conferences and small performances. On the outside area a space to safely make a bonfire is envisioned. The IKC is exploring several options, in collaboration with various parties ranging from  an area of 5 ha to an area of 80 to 100 ha. The initiative could contribute to the Dutch forest strategy, which aims for 5000 new hectares of planted forest in 2030. Planting trees will symbolize growth and healing.

Ultimately, the Forest of Healing aspires to be a place of reconciliation, healing, and mutual understanding, benefiting both Indigenous communities and the broader society (IKC, 2024).

The Forest of Healing project is in the planning stages, with the IKC actively working to develop the concept and hosting a congress about it in October 2025. Efforts are focused on fostering collaboration with Indigenous communities and cultural institutions, as well as securing support for the initiative.

IKC representatives are engaging with representatives of several Dutch ministries and institutions concerning Indigenous diaspora receiving a part of the 200 million euros the government promised to make available in the coming years for national awareness over the Dutch colonial past, as well as funds for nature rehabilitation (IKC, 2025). 

The Forest of Healing symbolizes awareness of the past, how this affects the present, and aims for growth towards the future. It is a place that facilitates the following: 

• A central point for various Indigenous groups 

• Indigenous ecological, agricultural and medicinal knowledge 

• Use of Indigenous knowledge for scientific purposes (indigenization) 

• Statistics on the Indigenous population in the Netherlands 

• Culture Restoration for scientific transfer 

• Visibility of Indigenous cultures

 • Various Indigenous cultural houses in the forest 

• In the middle a center, the IKC Int., where all indigenous people are represented 

• A home base for Indigenous people 

• A debate space about Indigenous world issues 

• Preservation of Indigenous languages, including language lessons for young people 

• Art, exhibitions, inspiration, knowledge, education and awareness 

• International collaborations and connections 

• Archives: Indigenous Archives/ Red archives 

• Learning from Indigenous spirituality and ceremonies – Cosmo vision 

• Rewriting Indigenous and Dutch history 

• Collaboration and dialogue with social and cultural institutions, including museums, universities, institutes and other policy institutions.

The Forest of Healing is a place where everything comes together regarding the preservation and restoration of Indigenous cultures, not only for the Indigenous population but for the entire Earth community. We cannot heal without repairing all relations. With this forest we can work on human and non-human restorative practices. Healing is not only necessary for the Indigenous communities, but also creates healing for the Dutch population and the Dutch forests by working, braiding different knowledges and revitalizing Indigenous cultures of reciprocity.