Kauma of Kenya: Eco-Spirituality and the Decolonization of Environmental Knowledge

Abstract

The coastal indigenous patches of forest serve as a testament to the role of Kauma Traditional African Religion in environmental conservation; however, colonialism led to the displacement of natives from their ancestral lands without considering their integrated resource management system. This caused a decline in their sense of stewardship for future generations. Colonial land policies exploited the political ecology of resource extraction, undermining Kauma culture and religion, and disrupting their environmental stewardship based on peaceful coexistence with nature. The Islamic sultan's rule had demarcated a ten-mile strip of coastal land for the sultanate, from where the British assumed the land was unoccupied, calling it “Terra nullius,” or no man's land. Colonization silenced the voices of indigenous natives, which requires regaining control to protect the environment of Kauma land; however, this requires decolonizing environmental knowledge, as it depends on their stewardship for effective conservation. The study used cultural ecology theory. Globally, conservation agendas continue to dominate climate discussions, with mechanisms often unclear and driven by Western technocratic ideas. Worse, they tend to exclude local voices, offer limited economic benefits to Indigenous communities, and fail to address the root ecological damages at the local level. This gap is what the study aims to fill. It is the voices of indigenous peoples that require regaining and protecting their environment; however, this is subject to decolonizing environmental knowledge, philosophy, spiritual connection with nature, and community-based governance. This study will add to the ongoing decolonization of environmental knowledge conversations for effective addressing of climate change.