الشعوب الأصلية

Innovations from Indigenous hunter-gatherers: A way of life in the forest by Indigenous Peoples


14/10/2022 - 

Rome - Counting for about two per cent of the Indigenous Peoples’ population worldwide, Indigenous hunter-gatherers are among the most invisible societies in the world. However, their food and knowledge systems show unique and common elements of sustainability and resilience. It is critical to recognize those elements to ensure the survival of Indigenous hunter-gatherers living in forests.

This side event of the FAO Science and Innovation Forum, organized by the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, highlighted how the food and knowledge systems of Indigenous hunter-gatherers can support their food and nutrition security while enhancing biodiversity and supporting climate resilience. It presented how to better understand and adequately address the challenges that Indigenous hunter-gatherer societies currently face to sustain their food systems and livelihoods. Finally, it highlighted the contributions that Indigenous hunter-gatherers can make in the global innovation debate towards more sustainable and resilient food systems.

"Hunter-gathering is a way to preserve biodiversity and the environment. By allocating funds to Indigenous Peoples, all of humanity can benefit, as was recognized at COP26," emphasized Vital Bambanze, Batwa people, Expert for Africa to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

In turn, the speakers highlighted key characteristics of the food and knowledge systems of the Indigenous hunter-gatherers, which are shared below.

The importance of knowledge systems and innovation in Indigenous Peoples’ hunter-gatherers societies

"Indigenous Peoples ‘knowledge is deeply relational and holistic, respecting all creation. It sharply contrasts with fortress conservation or unsustainable exploitation. Mainstream scientific knowledge has many limitations, and there is a tension on how to include Indigenous knowledge," underlined Sherry Pictou, Mi’kmaw people, Ărramăt Project, member of IPBES Task Force on Indigenous and Local Knowledge.

"Food generation practices like hunter-gathering involve minimal human intervention in ecosystems and support ecosystem functioning. The many diverse food generation and production activities at different times ensure their nutritional security," explained Charlotte Milbank, Interdisciplinary PhD student, University of Cambridge, emphasizing the importance of wild species for Indigenous hunter-gatherers.

The centrality of Storytelling

Storytelling as an oral tradition is central for the preservation of the knowledge systems of Indigenous hunter-gatherers, which needs to be recognised and respected. “Storytelling is a fundamental form for the transmission of knowledge on food, weather, fishing, hunting and more," said Marilyn Ngales, Agta people, Director, Community Outreach & Service Learning at Lyceum of the Philippines University, Philippines.

Indigenous Peoples' Innovation

"Indigenous Peoples' Innovation is place-based innovation. It is context specific and holistic. It adjusts old practices to new situations. There are rules that govern the application of innovation,” explained Edmond Dounias, Representative of IRD for Vietnam and the Philippines, the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD). "We need to move towards the co-production of Innovation. Para-Indigenous innovation is a challenging form of innovation, but it can result in an extremely rich cross-fertilization of knowledge and cultures," he concluded.

 

Conclusions

To conclude the event, Yon Fernandez de Larrinoa, Head of FAO‘s Indigenous Peoples Unit highlighted how hunter-gatherers and mobile livelihoods are still poorly understood. More understanding and respect are needed to avoid erroneous assimilation policies. Among Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists and hunter-gatherers are often those left behind. “When people move around the territory, they preserve biodiversity. This is poorly understood by policymakers and scientists. We need to come up with improved policies and programmes for hunter-gatherers that take into account the importance of their mobility in the territory to maintain and preserve biodiversity.”

He underscored that “it is not possible to address the climate crisis without listening to hunter-gatherers. They are in the hotspots of biodiversity and are the first ones interested in maintaining the balance of ecosystems, so they can preserve their livelihoods.” 

He also invited speakers to help ensure that Indigenous Peoples’Hunter-Gatherers will participate in processes of the co-creation of knowledge in the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ food systems.

The speakers concluded that policymakers need to protect the millennial food systems of Indigenous Peoples and especially hunter-gatherers, many of which existed before agriculture started.

 

More Information:

·         Recording / Live Tweets: https://twitter.com/FAOIndigenous/status/1580862931171803137