Stewardship & Climate Change: Afraid Of Bear Goes To Madagascar

A typical Malagasy village.

In March, Loretta Afraid Of Bear traveled to Madagascar. There, she visited a Malagasy community on the remote island of “Nosy Bora” as part of a delegation including Jyoti Ma, Spiritual Director and Founder of Center For Sacred Studies, Ryan Bradenburg, Dynamic Governance Expert, Christiane Pedros, Administrator & Coordinator for Essence of Madagascar, and Mindahi Bastida. Over the four day excursion, Loretta took part in ceremonies and attended meetings with the Malagasy, wherein they discussed a potential development project on the island designed to create jobs and generate income.

Loretta’s larger mission of advocating for Indigenous land rights while also mediating climate change loomed in her mind. She saw how this Malagasy community, free to live in traditional villages and practice their rituals and customs, were in deep connection with the nature around them. Loretta marveled at how well her guides knew the plants and animals that surrounded the village. She also marveled at how clean everything was, with no trash on the ground or pollution in the air. The surrounding environment was not in danger; rather, it was being cared for. 

“The Malagasy are keeping to natural habitats for all things kin to Nosy Bora. No invasive species or transplanting are allowed.” - Loretta on the sustainable practices of the Malagasy.

The scene of Nosy Bora was in stark contrast to the nearby city of Antananarivo. Here, as in most cities around the globe, trash, pollution, and an overall lack of connection to Mother Earth stained an otherwise wonderful place. 

“We need to each steward our own little place. If we can’t even do that, how can we steward the planet?” Loretta asks. 

By returning land to Indigenous people, Loretta argues, we can help mediate climate change. Indigenous people around the world masterfully stewarded their ancestors’ land, until they were forcibly removed by foreigners who sought to exploit natural resources. Now, a couple of centuries later, we face an environmental crisis that affects the whole planet. Loretta keenly observes that these two phenomena are not separate, but inextricably linked. In order to combat climate change, it is important to return stewardship of lands to native people. Moreover, if we hope to survive climate change, our society at large must adopt Indigenous practices and attitudes with regards to nature, such as those exhibited on the island of Nosy Bora.