Return to the Land
Return to the Land is a white nationalist private membership organization in northern Arkansas, United States.
History
The organization, operating under the name Wisdom Woods LLC, owns over near Ravenden, Arkansas. Co-founded by Eric Orwoll and Peter Csere in 2023, the community advertises itself as exclusively for white people. The membership application process includes interviews and background checks, whereby candidates are vetted based on European heritage. Jewish people are not considered white by RTTL and are thus barred from admission. As of July 2025, the first community is home to 40 inhabitants.There are currently two active communities in Arkansas: Arkansas Ozarks Community I and Arkansas Ozarks Community II. Four more are currently planned: one more in the Ozarks, one in the Deep South, and two in Appalachia.
Founders
Eric Orwoll
Eric Orwoll is the founder and spokesperson of Return to the Land. He is active on social media, mainly YouTube and X, discussing religion, politics, philosophy, Platonism, and white identitarianism. He has hosted discussions with other white identitarians including Nick Fuentes, who has promoted Christian nationalism,white supremacy, the incel movement, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ views, and antisemitism including Holocaust denial. Additionally, he has discussed how he was inspired by the Afrikaner separatist project Orania. Orwoll says that he has been a musician for Shen Yun, promoted by The Epoch Times, a far-right media outlet affiliated with Falun Gong.Orwoll characterized public opinion on Adolf Hitler as "one-sided", and has predicted a "second coming" of a Hitler-like leader, "who is going to advocate for your interests because that's how a lot of people see Hitler." Orwoll grew up in La Mirada, outside Los Angeles, and studied French horn at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. On his YouTube channel he has posted videos about Plato and collective consciousness. He has a strong interest in Greek philosophy. Orwoll voted for Trump, but he says only because he considered the prospect of a Kamala Harris administration worse.
Peter Csere
Csere is described as the organization's "de facto number two", responsible for the organization's legal framework. In the group's Telegram chat, Csere posted the phrase "1488", referring to the "Fourteen Words", a white identitarian slogan, with 88 representing the phrase "Heil Hitler". Csere previously lived in Ecuador, where he co-founded the ecovillages of Fruit Haven and Terra Frutis. In Ecuador, Csere was arrested for stabbing a miner. He has not been formally charged, and claims he was acting in self defense. On February 28, 2025, Fruit Haven ecovillage published an announcement on its website alleging Csere had misappropriated funds and stolen cryptocurrency from the community.Reactions
The organization has been criticized by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, although Griffin's office has indicated that it has "not seen anything that would indicate any state or federal laws have been broken". The Anti-Defamation League, an advocacy group for combating antisemitism, has described the organization as illegal under the Arkansas Fair Housing Act and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.The organization's attempts to expand into Missouri have been met with backlash from Democratic Communications Director Chelsea Rodriguez and Missouri state representatives Jeremy Dean and Betsy Fogle, together stating that the group would not be welcome in their state.