Indigenous Women: Respect Our Knowledge And Tradition

[polly7]

By Renee Juliene Karunungan, www.fairobserver.com
January 21st, 2016

“We had a culture where we preserved wild fruits for when we didn’t have enough food and grains,” says Edna Kaptoyo, a Pokot indigenous woman from Kenya. “My mother did this for our family, but today, these fruits have disappeared.”

“Women also use grass to cover our houses. But it has become more difficult for us to find grass, so when the storms come, we do not have anything to protect our children,” she adds.

Indigenous peoples are known to be stewards of nature. Their traditions and culture are largely dependent on the environment. But threats to their environment such as fossil fuel companies who drill their land and the impact of climate change have resulted in a more difficult life.

According to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, climate change is not simply about the environment where indigenous peoples live. It is a threat to their livelihoods, social life and traditional knowledge and cultures.

If there is one group of indigenous people who experience the impact of melting ice directly, it would be the Innuit. The Innuit people live on sea ice and traverse through sea ice. Global warming is melting glaciers at a fast pace. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Arctic summers could be ice-free by 2040.

https://www.popularresistance.org/indigenous-women-respect-our-knowledge-and-tradition/

[Mike__M]

1. Indigenous women are always trying to save us all

A little respect is due, I'd say.
Thanks polly7

[polly7]

2. Yes they are (and, you're welcome).

I wish they could run this world.