Why Indigenous Cultures Around the World Matter

Indigenous peoples around the world and indigenous cultures around the world are critical to the well being of the planet. They provide different answers to the question of what it means to be human and alive. Indigenous peoples day needs to truly honor indigenous tribes and help alleviate their struggles against oppression.

All of the species of the Earth and their ecosystems constitute the BIOSPHERE which provides life supporting services. The ethnosphere is the anthropological equivalent of the biosphere which contains the myriad indigenous cultures and their complex belief systems which provide alternative models of human life itself.

The term indigenous means 'naturally occurring in a particular place' or 'native'. Indigenous peoples who have successfully adapted to their environments have adopted cultural practices which work with nature rather than against her. The long term survival of any species depends on the health of its environment and humans are no different.

Many tribes live in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Bolivia. There are hunter gatherer tribes and bushmen living in parts of Africa as well. All of these tribes have unique answers to the question of what it means to be human. While their cultures are unique, a common philosophy is to take care of the land and water.

We often see modern humans as destructive to life on Earth. Some environmentalists have even compared the human species to cancer cells or viruses destroying our planet. However, this has never been the norm throughout the evolutionary history of humankind. Indigenous cultures offer alternative and sustainable models of human life which we can learn from. As we have seen, successful indigenous peoples see themselves as caretakers of their lands and biodiversity.

We need to respect indigenous cultures and support them in the fight against corporate interests. If you want to dive into this topic, I recommend learning from impactful organizations such as Indigenous Environmental Network, Cultural Survival, 350.org, Pachamama Alliance, and Survival International among many others.

Video References:

1. Wade Davis on the Ethnosphere - https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/saving...

2. Indigenous peoples and biodiversity conservation - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/en...

3. Global Forest Watch - https://www.globalforestwatch.org/

4. Language Conservancy statistics - https://languageconservancy.org/langu...

5. Indigenous Voices from Latin America by 350.org (CC video)-    • Indigenous voices from Latin America:...  

Visit the Following Websites to learn more and ACT:

1. Indigenous Environmental Network - https://www.ienearth.org/

2. Indigenous Phenology Network - https://www.usanpn.org/nn/indigenous-...

3. Cultural Survival - https://www.culturalsurvival.org/

4. Pachamama Alliance - https://www.pachamama.org/

5. 350.org - https://350.org/

6. Survival International - https://www.survivalinternational.org/

7. Native Land Checker - https://native-land.ca/

8. How to Genuinely Support Indigenous Peoples -   / 5-ways-to-support-indigenous-communities-o...  

#indigenouspeoples #creatorsforchange #indigenouscultures

Video Chapters
0:00 - 0:42 - Introduction to the Loss of Indigenous Cultures
0:43 - 1:17 - Explanation of the Ethnosphere
1:18 - 2:25 - Meaning of Indigenous and Land Stewardship
2:26 - 3:31 - Indigenous Conservation of Biodiversity
3:32 - 5:09 - Oppression of Indigenous Peoples Around the World
5:10 - 6:00 - Indigenous Stories from the Amazon Rainforest
6:01 - 6:26 - Importance of Indigenous Land Rights
6:27 - 7:01 - Learning from Indigenous Peoples
7:02 - 8:10 - Supporting Indigenous Groups and Resources to Organizations
8:11 - 8:41 - Conclusion

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