The Role of Cultural Fire Values among the Arhuaco, Tikuna, Uitoto, Pijao, and Embera-Chamí Indigenous Peoples of Colombia in Promoting Sustainable Forest Governance
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3387685 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ana Maria Monsalve Cuartas (0000-0002-9481-7665), Ana Valentina Masso-Ardila (0009-0003-8660-850X), D R Machado (0000-0003-1555-5562), David Machado (0000-0001-8832-5640), Ignacio Sanchez Flórez, Edisson Stik Cacais, Calixto Suárez Villafane, Joel Vásquez Bardales (0000-0002-0584-7310), José Gregorio Vásquez, Adriana Milena Walker, T S Archana, Adriana Milena Walker S |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 453-466 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-24 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Human Ecology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0300-7839 • E-ISSN: 1572-9915 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10745-025-00618-5 |
| OpenAlex | W4414478299 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 23 |
Indigenous knowledge is increasingly recognized as vital for sustainable forest management, environmental protection, and biodiversity conservation. However, it is often marginalized or dismissed by Western science and only valued when it aligns with dominant paradigms, while alternative views are reduced to cultural beliefs. We challenge this exclusion by exploring Indigenous understandings of fire and forests in Colombia, which are based on the worldviews of the Arhuaco, Pijao, Embera Chamí, Tikuna, and Uitoto Peoples. Through Indigenous-led research and collaborative dialogue, we demonstrate that fire is not just a physical or ecological event but a sacred and transformative force. Indigenous researchers state that, beyond its physical form, fire symbolizes origin, spirit, and deity. It acts as a source of healing, purification, and transformation. Its role in rituals and ceremonies facilitates communication, knowledge sharing, and the balance of Indigenous territories. Fire is deeply connected with various natural elements, representing the ongoing flow of spiritual energy. Likewise, forests are regarded as sacred, life-giving beings that support and teach, forming the core of cultural and ethnic identity. Unlike dominant fire and forest management practices, which are often driven by profit and a human-nature dualism, Indigenous fire stewardship offers holistic frameworks that integrate ecological, cultural, and spiritual elements. We believe that Indigenous knowledge should be acknowledged as a valid form of science, with its oral traditions and stories providing vital insights into traditional ecological knowledge. We aim to decolonize fire governance by promoting a plural and intercultural understanding of fire and forest stewardship. Genuine collaboration that includes Indigenous perspectives is not only a matter of justice but also essential for transforming management practices into more resilient and inclusive approaches
Implications of changing climate for global wildland fire
Fire in the Earth System
The role of forest conversion, degradation, and disturbance in the carbon dynamics of Amazon indigenous territories and protected areas
Locally Based, Regionally Manifested, and Globally Relevant
High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change
Rediscovery of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Adaptive Management
A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation
A collaborative approach to bring insights from local observations of climate change impacts into global climate change research
Epistemologías del fuego, una propuesta a partir del pensamiento Ancestral
A etnoecologia
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Global Environmental Change
El manejo indígena del mundo global
Beyond nature and culture
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |