As we mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States, we recognize the many ways Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural traditions – which have historically been suppressed and marginalized – can help address the most stubborn problems we face.
In California, for example, wildfires have burned nearly one million acres of land this year, leaving nothing but ash where previously homes and businesses stood and habitat thrived. The climate crisis has made fires like these more likely – but one of the most effective tools to prevent them is the traditional Indigenous practice of controlled burning. For generations, Indigenous communities across the world have set and managed low-grade fires to clear away dry undergrowth and vegetation that might otherwise fuel out-of-control wildfires. Until relatively recently, authorities prohibited tribes in California from performing these controlled burns – but now, seeing how effective they are at preventing the worst fires, officials are working urgently with Indigenous communities to facilitate and expand these burns. And at USAID, we’re now providing technical support and training to an Indigenous fire brigade in Brazil that uses controlled burns as a core component of its own firefighting strategy.
Today, in accordance with USAID’s Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we are looking for opportunities to follow Indigenous Peoples’ lead not just on climate adaptation, but on our full range of development priorities around the world.
In Ethiopia, we are partnering with Indigenous communities to foster ecotourism as an opportunity for economic growth that also supports conservation. In Colombia, we are working with the country’s National Training Service to pilot a job-training program that will provide young Wayuu leaders with the skills they need to help their communities access renewable energy solutions. And in Papua New Guinea, we have supported Indigenous communities as they create land-use plans that can be integrated into formal government planning processes.
We know that the best way to uplift Indigenous communities and unleash the power and potential of their knowledge systems is to support them as they determine their own development agendas. Through USAID’s partnership with the FSC Indigenous Foundation, we are creating a platform for a global council of Indigenous leaders to advise development and business actors on forest stewardship in accordance with their unique priorities, knowledge, and traditions. These efforts build on our Agency-wide commitment to amplify local voices and experiences.
Indigenous people number more than 475 million worldwide and reside in nearly every country in which USAID operates. They carry an immense richness of knowledge, culture, and history that has often been not only ignored, but repressed. Today, we honor the spirit of all tribal nations and ancestral homelands of Indigenous people. We recognize Indigenous peoples’ critical role in advancing USAID’s mission, and we recommit to promoting their well-being, prosperity, and fundamental dignity in the United States and around the world.