August 9 is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This date was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in commemoration of the first meeting of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.
Indigenous peoples are knowledge keepers, guardians, and promoters of a unique and rich set of understandings and interpretations of ancestral language, culture, worldview, rituals, and traditions. Indigenous groups around the world are very diverse, but they all share the way of relating to the environment and their traditional lands, as well as the desire to preserve their cultural, social and economic values.
The theme for 2022 is “The role of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge”. Women are the pillars of indigenous peoples, they play a crucial role in all aspects of community life. They are the base of the family, they protect natural resources, they defend traditional lands and territories, while transmitting ancestral knowledge. Women participation in decision-making is progressively increasing in some indigenous communities, as it is the case of the Indigenous Reservation of the Matavén Forest. Every day Matavén has more indigenous women leaders in their communities.
Nevertheless, Indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable populations in the world. That is why this international day is an opportunity to recognize and honor indigenous peoples. And it is also an opportunity to promote initiatives that protect indigenous peoples rights and preserve their cultures and ways of life.