Indigenous peoples make up only five percent of the global population, and though among the marginalized sectors of society, their traditional knowledge and practices are becoming sources of hope for the world’s complex problems.  

After centuries of neglect of their needs, abuse of their rights, and forced assimilation, we are gradually looking to our indigenous peoples. Because when things get complicated, we realize we need to go back to the basics. 

For many years now, we have been grappling with climate change, which has turned into a global crisis that is affecting food and water security, biodiversity, and life itself. The degradation of our forests and decline of ecosystems, which are our own doing in a bid to fast track modernization, is becoming a serious concern as future generations may have to live less of these natural resources.

While many of us opted to live in modern cities, our indigenous peoples have lived in communion with nature. As we have become Mother Earth’s parasites, they have been nurturing a mutual relationship with the environment. And when nature unleashes its wrath, it is the indigenous peoples who see the telltale signs because they have been listening to their natural surroundings.

In fact, we owe it to indigenous peoples that 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity are protected. Imagine, they are a mere five percent of the population yet they take it upon themselves to protect and preserve most of our natural environment. If not for them, we have long suffocated from our own pollution. Now that we are striving to strike the needed balance to restore the Earth in its most livable state, we certainly have a lot to learn from indigenous peoples’ way of life, their traditional knowledge and practices that they have lovingly preserved amidst the threats of modernization and assimilation.

I remember when I visited the Tagbanua in Sitio Calauit in Palawan. I was amazed at how they build their homes and schools using all natural materials such as bamboo, wood and woven knots. One of the boys there told me that they regularly conduct reforestation of mangroves, which is a good protection from flooding and erosion. They care so much about the environment because their survival is dependent on it. 

In Batanes, a province frequented by typhoons, the Ivatan’s traditional houses are made of limestone and corals with thatched roofs that can withstand strong winds and typhoons.

Regenerative agriculture, a farming system that takes into account soil health, is now being embraced as a way to ensure food security without harming the planet. This kind of farming, which includes intercropping and agroforestry, among others, has long been practiced by indigenous peoples. 

Ultimately, we can learn a lot from indigenous peoples. We can look at how they practice sustainable agriculture, how they build sturdy homes that can stand disasters, how they are able to fulfill their needs without abusing the environment, how they encourage community engagement, how they balance their needs and that of the planet, and how they have kept simple yet meaningful lives all these centuries.