Faith and the Environment
The Wisdom of Indigenous Cultures
March 20, 2025
Of the more than 4,000 religions worldwide, several hundred are considered Indigenous religions, associated with distinct cultural beliefs and traditions. Many of these beliefs relate to the importance of nature and our responsibility as humans to be environmental stewards.
It is widely acknowledged that Indigenous people, despite making up just 5% of the global population, protect a significant amount of the planet’s remaining biodiversity. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is a term for the collective Indigenous knowledge and beliefs about nature and man’s place in it, and serves as an alternative to the more objective and resource-oriented Western worldview of the environment as something to be exploited.
Though it is impossible to describe the environmental worldviews of every Indigenous culture in this brief article, we have highlighted just a few of the numerous environmental themes and practices central to various Indigenous belief systems around the world.
Animism
Many traditional Indigenous values are rooted in a respect for the natural world and the belief that humans, rather than sitting atop a hierarchy of living things, are simply part of a circle in which all life has equal value. Animism is a worldview in which every living being, and even natural features such as rivers and mountains, has a spirit, and therefore is deserving of our respect and gratitude.
The Maōri people in New Zealand, for example, see humans and nature as kin, a belief which guides their common values of conserving natural resources for the benefit of all. The Maōri word kaitiakitanga encompasses the idea of guardianship and protecting the environment in order to respect the ancestors and ensure a healthy planet for future generations.
In 2017, the New Zealand government made history by granting the Te Awa Tupua River personhood, recognizing it as an ancestor to the Maōri people, and thus allowing the river to have the same legal status as any New Zealand citizen.
Animals in particular hold special value in many Indigenous religions and cultures. Some Native American and First Nations tribes, such as the Lakota tribe of Sioux Nation and the Tlingit peoples of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, use ‘spirit animals’ to convey personal, family and community stories and values.
Spirit animals are also a part of the Native American zodiac, in which the astronomical conditions at the time of one’s birth are believed to inform one’s personality and relationship with nature. For example, the spirit animal of someone born between April 20-May 20 is the beaver, symbolizing determination, resourcefulness and productivity. People born under the sign of the beaver are considered to be ‘homemakers,’ building a strong home and community for themselves and their loved ones.
Similarly, in Hawaiian culture sharks are sacred animals and believed to be a type of ‘aumakua — spiritual beings which can be family guardians, messengers between humans and gods, and manifestations of ancestors. These beliefs have fundamentally shaped local resource management and conservation strategies, with communities protecting the wildlife and ecosystems which carry such deeply personal and cultural importance.
In 1995, a group of families in Kaupulehu, Hawaii founded the Kaupulehu Marine Life Advisory Committee to protect local marine resources. In 2016, they successfully created a 10-year “no take” zone across 3 miles of coastal waters, and continue to work toward new legislation with particular emphasis on shark conservation.
Animism is also intrinsically connected to the worship of nature and the recognition of divine presence in natural spaces.
Divinity in Nature
Shintoism, often considered the Indigenous religion of Japan, originated around the 6th century BC. Shintoists worship kami — the spirits or deities present in the world around us, including those which created the universe and those which exist within natural phenomena, such as storms and earthquakes, and physical objects like rocks, streams, trees, animals and even humans.
Shinto rituals, which often include purification ceremonies, the presentation of offerings, dance and prayers, aim to celebrate and strengthen the bond between people, nature and the spiritual realm.
The Yoruba people, an ethnic group living primarily in Nigeria, Benin and Togo, worship dozens of gods and goddesses, known as Orishas, who embody different spiritual concepts and natural phenomena. These include Okό, the god of agriculture and farming, Xango, who is associated with masculinity, justice, lighting and thunder, and Yemoja, the goddess of the ocean and mother of all living things.
The belief that God created the Earth, as well as the idea that man has the responsibility to oversee and protect the planet, both contribute to the Yoruba peoples’ conservation values and devotion to environmental stewardship.
Sacred groves, for example, are forests believed to be inhabited by deities and which have thus been managed by the Yoruba people and protected from extractive activities, such as logging, for thousands of years. These sacred groves, of which few remain today, are known to have higher tree species diversity than formal ecological reserves, in addition to more diverse medicinal plant species.
Seasonal Calendar Cycles
Many Indigenous cultures around the world observe calendar cycles that are different to the 12-month calendar most of us use. Instead, these calendars often reflect the values central to their communities.
The nomadic Sámi people of Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia are known for herding reindeer as their primary livelihood. Because their lives revolve so tightly around reindeer, they have adopted an 8-season calendar which reflects the life cycle and migration patterns of reindeer.
As a Shamanic and animistic culture, the Sámi also hold deeply spiritual beliefs about nature and man’s place in it. They worship many natural forces as gods, goddesses and ancestral spirits, including the sun, the moon, thunder, wind and the Northern Lights. Every year, they celebrate the Sun Festival, at Midsummer, during which they give thanks for the sun’s warmth and light, and pray for a successful year of reindeer husbandry.
Similarly, the Haudenosaunee Nations of Northeast North America observe a 13-month calendar based on the lunar cycle, and celebrate many annual festivals, including the Mid-Winter Festival, the Maple Festival, the Strawberry Festival, and the Green Corn Festival. Each one honors a different “gift” from nature and provides an opportunity for communities to come together to give thanks for the season’s bounty.
March 20 marks this year’s Spring Equinox — the time at which the Sun crosses the celestial equator, bathing Earth’s northern hemisphere in light and warmth. It is the astronomical beginning of Spring, and often viewed as a time of reflection and renewal.
Place-based Agriculture & Conservation
As the original stewards of their ancestral lands, Indigenous peoples around the world possess unique and intimate knowledge of their natural surroundings, and of how best to care for them.
Aboriginal communities in Australia believe that humans and nature were created as one. The agricultural and land management practices of these communities, such as the raising of livestock, harvesting of crops, and controlled burning of forests to mitigate large-scale wildfires, reflect this belief and place value on a balanced existence between people and land.
In Mexico, Indigenous people — who total more than 16 million people yet make up just over 15% of the country’s population — play an important role in managing and protecting Mexico’s diverse natural resources, from sustainable agriculture and traditional fire management to forest restoration, often at great risk to their safety.
Indigenous communities throughout Southeast Asia have learned how to predict climate events and other phenomena by observing natural occurrences.
For thousands of years, Indigenous communities in An Hai, Vietnam have been able to forecast periods of drought and rain based on the appearance of the moon and the flight patterns of dragonflies, allowing them to make informed decisions about the types of crops to plant and the best planting times.
For a region which is challenged by a lack of fresh water for agricultural use and which has limited access to meteorological forecasting methods, this traditional knowledge is invaluable to the local residents’ way of life.
Indigenous Peoples as Ecological Guardians
Like the Maōri, many Indigenous communities consider themselves ‘guardians’ of their local environmental resources.
Within the 2.7 million square miles of the Amazon Rainforest, there are approximately 400 distinct tribes which call the rainforest home. The Guajajara tribe, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, are particularly known for their fierce protection of their local forests from illegal loggers, and continue to risk their lives daily for their home.
In East Africa, the semi-nomadic Maasai people consider themselves the protectors of wildlife. While in the past young Maasai men would be asked to kill a lion as a sign of strength and bravery, this practice is now discouraged by elders due to a decline in lion populations. Instead, they raise livestock for food, milk, and leather.
Like many Indigenous Peoples who practice a “take only what you need” lifestyle, the Maasai believe in respecting animals in both life and death, giving thanks to the animal for its life and using the entire animal so nothing goes to waste.
A Lesson For All
Despite differences in culture, religion, governing practices and geographic region, a common belief across Indigenous communities is that of a shared responsibility to care for the natural world and protect it for future generations — a noble idea which can inspire all of us to take action!
EARTHDAY.ORG continues to work closely with the faith community — highlighting the ways different religious groups engage with environmental activism, and providing resources for congregations to share with their members.
If your interest in environmental beliefs around the world has been piqued, take a moment to explore another EARTHDAY.ORG article on nature-based values of five major world religions, as well as an op-ed by an EARTHDAY.ORG staff member about what Genesis teaches Christians about the virtue in being environmental stewards.
