Tool 3.2. Learning from Indigenous Peoples

CLARITY Competence Area

Embracing values that sustain the lives of all living beings, Embracing values that sustain the lives of all living beings

GreenComp Competence Area

Embodying sustainability values, Embodying sustainability values

Why use this tool?

This tool is meant to support reflection on the historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples face, and to encourage respectful engagement with Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems and practices when it comes to growing climate resilience and fostering ecosystem regeneration. It is essential to note that Indigenous Peoples are communities who have been experiencing colonisation, in most parts of the world. Yet, they still carry a deep sense of responsibility for the lands they have inherited from their ancestors, which includes ecosystems that have been exploited and those that have remained intact. While colonisation is often associated with empires exploiting territories and people overseas, it has occurred within Europe as well. The Sámi in Sápmi, present across parts of four countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia) and the Inuit of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland – a self-governed territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) are examples of Indigenous Peoples who still suffer from the burden of European colonisation. Today, one of the biggest challenges faced by many Indigenous Peoples is “Green” or “Climate colonialism” as a result of which many Indigenous Peoples see their territories once again plundered for rare minerals or to install wind power, now with the excuse of saving the planet. It is important not to exoticise Indigenous Peoples’ cultures, while recognising their knowledge as vital to our shared journey towards a more climate-resilient world.

Activities in this tool