Wayfinders Circle

The ancestors of the Achuar people have lived along the Pastaza and Morona rivers of Ecuador and Peru for thousands of years. In 1992, the Achuar were granted legal title over 680,000 hectares of the 800,000 in total that comprise their ancestral territory in Ecuador. This has allowed the Achuar to manage their natural resources according to their own vision; except for underground/mineral resources, to which the Ecuadorian State still holds title.

The Achuar have a robust governance structure that has allowed them to keep oil extraction and logging out of their territory for 60 years. They continue to practice the guayusa ritual every morning, drink chicha de yuca throughout the workday, and on special occasions ingest sacred, hallucinogenic plants such as Ayahuasca to encounter Arutam (a jungle spirit), which guides their work and their lives.

The Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy) is composed of the Kainai (Blood), Piikani (Piegan), Siksika (Blackfoot), and Amskapii Piikuni (Blackfeet) Nations. Since time immemorial, the Siksikaitsitapi people have lived in a territory that stretches from the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta and Saskatchewan to the Yellowstone River in the state of Montana, from the Continental Divide in the west to the Great Sand Hills in the province now known as Saskatchewan. The settler colonial imposed reserves in Canada and U.S. total nearly 1 million hectares but represent a small fraction of the land in which Blackfoot culture, language, and livelihoods have historically been rooted.

In what is now known as Montana, the Amskapii Piikuni (Blackfeet) see themselves as caretakers of much of North America’s water resources since rivers flow from their territory east to the Atlantic, west to the Pacific, and north to the Arctic. Their lands include the spine of the continental divide and vast prairies laced with creeks and rivers and dotted with wetlands, ponds and large lakes. They have a major water compact with the U.S. government, a comprehensive Agricultural Resource Management Plan, and steward an array of resources.

The Gabbra pastoralist community, which number around 141,200 people and inhabit the vast (35,000 squares kilometers) semi-arid region of northern Kenya, share an intricate relationship with their land, environment and resources. They herd camels, cattle, sheep and goats over a harsh landscape encompassing lava boulder and salt covered deserts.

The Gabbra move over long distances in the search for water and pasture. They engage in elaborate pasture and water management systems, foster vital social responsibilities and practice intricate drought early warning systems. They utilize different ecological niches to form the backbone of their economy and as a source of livelihoods, social contracts, spiritual sacrifices, and identity.

The Gabbra have deep ecological knowledge of their territory, which helps them obtain materials for their portable huts, herbal medicine, plants for ceremonial occasions, tools, weapons, and, most importantly, to sustainably manage resources and survive.

Hin Lad Nai is a small village nestled in the valley of Khun Jae National Park, a mountainous forest region located the Wiang Pa Pao District of Chiang Rai Province in Thailand. The community primarily includes Karen people who manage their resources and engage in rotational farming practices, non-timber forest collection, livestock rearing and paddy field cultivation.

The community actively manages an area spanning approximately 1,645 hectares, with 942 hectares designated as forest conservation zones and 274 hectares utilized for various agricultural purposes. This includes rotational farming, paddy fields and agroforestry gardens, such as coffee, bitter fruit and tea cultivation, along with areas dedicated to community forests for livestock. Additionally, the community has set aside 128 hectares for rotational farming practices, maintaining a balance between active farming areas and fallow lands.

The Ju/'hoansi, the second-largest group of San people in Namibia, have inhabited the Nyae Nyae area for thousands of years, establishing themselves as one of the oldest Indigenous groups in Africa. Their traditional lifestyle, rooted in hunting and gathering in the Kalahari region, reflects a deep connection to the land. Since ancient times, the Ju/’hoansi San have shown a profound concern for the sustainable use of natural resources. They are renowned for their practice of living alongside wildlife and taking only what they require, thereby ensuring that resources remain available for other species and for future generations.

Many of the decisions taken by the Ju/’hoansi traditionally were inextricably linked to land, the resources found on the land, and finding equitable, mutually acceptable ways of ordering access to these resources. In addition, the Ju/’hoansi had well defined family links to these resource areas, which they called n!oresi. These n!oresi were “managed” by a n!ore kxao, which translates as n!ore owner or steward. Such ownership or right could not be sold or given away, and was passed on through the family by the parents.

The Lhoba Indigenous culture is deeply rooted in traditional institutions integral to their cultural identity and worldview. Lo-menthang village is structured into four traditional wards or clusters.

Central to the Lhoba community's governance are their customary values, exemplified by the Kghyamba/Ghyamba system. This system emphasizes collectiveness and collective action, promoting social cohesion and harmony between nature and human society. Roles within this system are not determined through formal elections; instead, community members rotate responsibilities annually, fostering a culture of shared accountability and responsiveness to community needs.

The Government of the Mayangna Nation is the coordinating body of the various communities and territorial government instances that functions as an interlocutor with the Regional and National Government and other actors, thus guaranteeing the exercise of Indigenous governance to achieve common objectives. The Government of the Mayangna Nation is considered the highest stage of the traditional organization (Sukawala), which represents a superior state in the communal Indigenous institutionality.

Traditionally, the Mayangnas have been custodians of Mother Earth, coexisting with their resources of humid tropical forest, their pine savanna, and their forest reserve considered the third-largest in Central America. The “Bosawá Biosphere Reserve” was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1997, and the Cerro Saslaya was declared a national park in 1971 and is located within the Mayangna Sauni Bas Indigenous territory.

The Mayangna government has achieved the titling and demarcation of the 9 Mayangnas Indigenous territories, which have historically maintained the preservation of their territory and natural resources with their worldview. Ranger teams have been organized to carry out patrolling, monitoring, and surveillance for the protection and defense of the Bosawá Biosphere Reserve and its local park.

The Mayangna government carries out political advocacy at the local, national and international levels for the protection of natural resources, hills, savanna, and basins of the Mayangnas Indigenous territories. It also promotes the prosecution of third parties, immigrants, and traffickers involved in the illegal sale of wood, land, and other resources.

The Native American Land Conservancy (NALC) is a US nonprofit organization that purchases and owns land collectively, as a land trust, governed by local Native American leaders who have a historical, cultural, and spiritual connection to their ancestral lands and are seen as the legal/practical “owners” and stewards of their lands. Most of the Native leaders on the NALC board are members of local federally-recognized tribes who have reservations that are held in trust by the federal government for the Tribal Nations. Most NALC members are members of local tribes and live on their reservations. Some live in other adjacent areas outside the reservation lands.

The NALC protects the vital ecosystems of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the American Southwest and Southern California regions through its Old Woman Mountains Preserve and other protected sites. It also works with Native lands connected to the Colorado Plateau to the East and the Chaparral and Coastal Scrub to the West. The NALC combines Traditional Environmental Knowledge of the local Tribes with the Western scientific paradigm to protect and restore fragile desert ecosystems, Native communities, Native plants, endangered animals, and critical water resources. The NALC strongly advocates for the protection of water in the Mojave Desert and has successfully protected many endangered and sacred springs.

NALC lands are protected as cultural-ecological sites, so no one lives there except maybe a part-time caretaker. The NALC directly “owns” and manages 2,600 acres of tribal territory, including many sacred places. They also work on thousands of other acres through partnership, co-management, and their reservation lands.

In the past, the ancestors of the Heiltsuk people occupied over 50 villages across their territory. Presently, the Heiltsuk territory extends from the southern tip of Calvert Island, up Dean and Burke Channels as far as Kimsquit and the head of Dean Inlet to the northeast, and up the Mathieson and Finlayson Channels to the north. The territory is “located at the heart” of the largest intact old-growth forest in the world, the Great Bear Rainforest. The Great Bear Rainforest was officially recognized by the Government of British Columbia in February 2016 and is Canada’s contribution to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC), a unique Indigenous forest conservation initiative established in 2015 which now includes 16 of the 52 Commonwealth nations.

The Heiltsuk Nation is First Nation government with a Chief councilor and Councilors. The nation has a Tribal office also known as the “Band Office” that handles all of the administrative work for the Heiltsuk First Nation, including: Finance, Municipal, Housing, Government, Tribal Council and Membership.

The Municipality of Rapa Nui is located in the southeast Pacific. It is an Indigenous territory on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about 3,800 kilometers from Chile and 4,000 kilometers from Tahiti. The island covers approximately 16,360 hectares and is home to 36 family clans. Rapa Nui boasts the largest Multiple Use Marine Protected Area in Chile, spanning 728,000 square kilometers.

In 1966, following persistent protests and demands by the Rapa Nui people, the State of Chile recognized them as citizens with rights through the creation of the Department of Easter Island and its Municipality. The Rapa Nui Municipality is part of the official government at the State level and collaborates closely with both traditional and new leaders to address the needs of the Rapa Nui people.

The reindeer herding area in Sweden covers approximately 40% of the territory. Swedish reindeer herding communities are legal and administrative entities that have usufruct rights to a geographical area. Within this area, the reindeer herding community grazes their reindeer and uses the resources to sustain their families. These reindeer herding communities cover all the northern parts of Sweden.

Sámiid Riikkasearvi (RSR) is an organization whose members are the reindeer herding communities of northern Sweden. This gives RSR a unique possibility to develop and implement sustainable resource use within the reindeer herding area. Sámi reindeer herding is a traditional livelihood of the Sámi based on sustainable resource use. Sámi reindeer herding does not exploit the resources in the area but sustainably uses them.

Sungai Utik is a Dayak Iban Community in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Dayak Iban People continue to practice their customary systems, including the Rumah Betang (traditional longhouse) culture, which accommodates more than 300 people. Their cultural practices of cooperation, reciprocity with nature, and sustainable use and management of resources make them an exemplary model and icon among other Indigenous Peoples. Many Indigenous leaders and others visit the community to learn how the Dayak Iban maintain and preserve their culture, traditional knowledge and protect their customary forest while maintaining strong community unity and cohesion.

From their 214-meter longhouse, the  Sungai Utik Community has protected their 9,504-hectare customary forest against corporate interests and illegal loggers. For decades, the  Sungai Utik community has demonstrated their collective commitment and unity to defend their ancestral territories while practicing local management traditions. The Dayak Iban People in Sungai Utik have a customary spatial system of resource conservation and management guided by strict customary rules. These have been proven effective in maintaining the sustainability of the ecosystems in their territory, including forests, wetlands, and the Sungai Utik river. 

The Wampis territory is located in the Amazon headwaters near the Andes. It is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, spanning from the Santiago and Morona rivers, and includes the Kampankis mountain range. The territory includes swamps, lakes, waterfalls, and caves.

The Wampis Nation is governed by the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation, created to defend their ways of life and defend against pressures from extractive industries. Their governance regulations are laid out in the Statute of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation, which clarifies the Wampis vision for their future in all areas of life, including religion, spirituality, education, language, and the recovery of ancestral place names. The Statute is built strictly on the obligations of the Peruvian State to respect the rights and autonomy of Indigenous Peoples and nations. Amongst other principles, the Statute requires that any activity that could affect the Wampis territory must have the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of the Wampis Nation. The Wampis Nation is also governed by a Socio-Political Pact that includes agreements and obligations for the conservation of living beings of the Wampis territory.

The Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area is part of the larger Arnhem Land, a vast Indigenous territory over twice the size of Switzerland in northern Australia, and home to Indigenous cultures dating back over 65,000 years. Arnhem Land is one of the largest Aboriginal reserves in Australia and is perhaps best known for its isolation, the art of its people, and the strong continuing traditions of its Indigenous inhabitants. Cultural beliefs have minor variations from clan to clan although it is understood that the land and the people were created by spiritual ancestors. They made the rivers, the water holes, the hills, the rocks and all living things. They gave each clan their land, their totems, their laws to live by and their dreaming.

The Nawarddeken, who are the traditional owners of Warddeken, make up 36 clan groups of the Bininj Kunwok language group. Their ownership of the land is recognized under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. Together they created the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area in 2009, including 1,394,951 hectares of spectacular stone and gorge on the West Arnhem Plateau/Land, Northern Territory (NT), immediately east of Kakadu National Park. The plateau is significant for numerous threatened species and is of great cultural significance as thousands of rock art sites tell stories and record the way Indigenous Peoples lived tens of thousands of years ago, some documenting first contact with Europeans; some of the richest density of rock art galleries in the world.