Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB) interventions are geared to strengthen locally acknowledged traditional beliefs in environmental conservation and the development of holistic peacebuilding where knowledge and practice are co-created with indigenous wisdom. Harnessing the universal rights of FORB in local community development interventions entails protecting all individuals, including those who hold theistic, non-theistic, and atheistic beliefs, as well as those who choose not to have any religion or belief. This article looks at how FORB interventions strengthen local traditional beliefs in environmental advocacy and peacebuilding using Indonesia and Kenya as case studies.

Ecological spiritual models harness traditional beliefs strengthening environmental advocacy efforts for sustainable development and peacebuilding. Traditional beliefs of the Pamona tribe in Poso¹, Indonesia, reveal the intertwined nature of humans and nature, where intimate relationships with their lands and the natural world are shared by many indigenous peoples. This was encapsulated by Ms. Lian Gogali, Executive Director of Institut Mosintuwu in Poso, who explained how traditional beliefs incorporated humans as the custodians of the environment, where respecting the natural environment meant respecting their ancestors, who would safeguard their futures. In her discussions, she described the traditional beliefs of the locals, who epitomized Lake Poso, as the fountain of life. According to her, the lake is referred to as a living being, an existing life that enables it to nourish and influence the socio-cultural and economic landscape of the people. Institut Mosintuwu, along with the Lake Poso Guardian Alliance and other local institutions, are pivotal in promoting Lake Poso as a ‘geopark or earth park’ and advocating for conservation efforts to protect Lake Poso from hydropower electric projects that threaten the life of the river and the surrounding communities. Advocacy efforts derive from divine rituals where humans, nature, and all creatures participate as a form of resistance against the hydropower electric projects. FORB interventions enhance these existential ecological spirituality models of mobilization which derive inspiration from local traditions and beliefs. Here, the natural world and ancestral wisdom create the movement's moral agency in local advocacy. 

In a meeting with the Lake Poso Guardian Community, it was revealed that the Poso culture is marked by traditional belief ceremonies practiced daily, composed of myriad rituals to appease ancestral spirits and deities of water, earth, fire, the sun, the lakes, and mountains. The elders explained how the following three terms facilitated their advocacy efforts:

‘The first is "tuwu mombetubunaka", (mutual respect), the second is "tuwu mombepomawo", (mutual love), and finally "tuwu mombepatuwu" (social concern of the other). Particularly, these three words translate to peacebuilding, not only among communities but also with nature. These terms translate to ‘we live for each other. So, we help each other. The other also means the natural environment. Our relationships do not destroy each other or ignore each other. Our beliefs have responsibilities regarding relationships with the universe that must be maintained.’

The belief (adat) of most of the Pamona tribes is known as ‘Molamoa,’ which regulates their lives in all aspects. These beliefs are strongly adhered to because they regulate everything in the life of a living being, ‘from conception in the womb to its return to the creator after being a corpse. This belief regulates everything from water, trees, birds, fish, the sky, the stones, and so on.'

In Poso, legendary beliefs such as the Lake Lamp become the mindset of the people living around Lake Poso.

‘We believe that some of the community members have seen the lake lamp and have interacted with it. The belief is that the moving lamp does exist; however, this moving lamp cannot be touched and cannot be captured. This affects the mindset of the community members here—that there is some phenomenal power in this lake that cannot be captured by reason but needs to be adhered to as a belief. The effect of this community mindset is that other lives are living in Lake Poso beyond human beings. This influences people around Lake Poso to provide knowledge of their traditional and legendary beliefs passed on from one generation to another.’ Discussion with elders in Poso, the Lake Poso Guardian Community.

‘Our beliefs are aimed at conserving nature as a living being. For instance, if you see a tree, it is not the desire to cut it down but rather the desire for how we want to take care of it and maintain it. If we do need to cut the tree, we practice specific rituals to ask permission from the tree and nature. We would only cut the tree if nature permitted it during our ritual. We also focus a lot on replanting trees on the banks of the lake to preserve our heritage.’

Discussion with Ms. Lian Gogali, Institut Mosintuwu

Spiritual values, traditions, and customs reinforce the connectedness of nature and humans. During fieldwork in coastal Kenya, the belief practices of the Kaya community revealed the strong relationship between the sacred Kaya forests and humans to nurture a holistic worldview where everything and everyone is related. However, the role of Kaya in the conservation of forests as well as their ritualistic practices are viewed with caution by outside communities. Some outside community members often label these Kaya rituals, shrines, and practices as suspicious or even as ‘forms of witchcraft', creating tensions within communities in Kilifi and Kwale.

 FORB interventions in Kenya by the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) and Kenya Community Support Center (KECOSCE) bridges these communal tensions by creating awareness of the Kaya culture, their ritualistic practices, and their contributions to conservation among the local communities in Kwale and Kilifi. For example, community exposure visits are coordinated by the IRCK and KECOSCE (JISRA partner organizations in Kenya), where religious communities such as Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and other religions are taken for knowledge exchange events with the Kaya community members in the Kaya forests.

During our discussions, a Kaya elder who participated in these exchanges explained how Kaya members gave the other religious communities a glimpse of their lifestyles and rituals, which enabled the ‘other’ to comprehend the Kaya community. This includes an understanding of the Kaya worldview, which is based on the Mudzini concept, highlighting the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. During these learning exchanges, the Kaya Elders provide knowledge on how they become custodians of their forests—how regulations such as taboos and rules restrict access to specific areas of the forest and prohibit tree cutting. The sacred elements and symbols of the Kayas represent the interaction between spirits, trees, animals, and humans, which has guided the Kaya community for generations to promote holistic and sustainable development. Cultural values include mutuality (Kufaana) and harmony (Soyosoyo) between people and nature; collaboration (Kushirikiana) and solidarity (Umwenga) among people with a common interest, which enable the strengthening of the values for sustainable natural resource management and local peacebuilding².

 The two case studies are among the many other FORB interventions that show the potential of indigenous traditions collaborating with the sacred, where ecological spirituality enables cooperating with nature to foster sustainable local peacebuilding. This allows communities to see themselves not only as custodians of nature but also views themselves as embedded in a broader community of nature, earth, and the overall – universe.  

¹Institut Mosintwu is a partner organization of the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) in Indonesia.

² Interview with Kaya Elder, June 2023, in Kilifi, Kenya