Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication
Abstract Indigenous knowledges are being increasingly recognized as fundamental for environmental governance, ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. However, they tend to be recognized by Western science only when they converge with Western scientific knowledge, while ontological differ...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-03-01
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| Series: | People and Nature |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10796 |
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| author | Mariana Franco Cassino Guilherme Henriques Soares Gilton Mendes dos Santos Jonilda Hauwer Gouveia João Paulo Lima Barreto Dagoberto Lima Azevedo Gabriel Sodré Maia Juliana Lins Clarinda Maria Ramos Myrtle Pearl Shock Marco Madella Charles Roland Clement |
| author_facet | Mariana Franco Cassino Guilherme Henriques Soares Gilton Mendes dos Santos Jonilda Hauwer Gouveia João Paulo Lima Barreto Dagoberto Lima Azevedo Gabriel Sodré Maia Juliana Lins Clarinda Maria Ramos Myrtle Pearl Shock Marco Madella Charles Roland Clement |
| author_sort | Mariana Franco Cassino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Indigenous knowledges are being increasingly recognized as fundamental for environmental governance, ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. However, they tend to be recognized by Western science only when they converge with Western scientific knowledge, while ontological differences are generally treated as irrelevant or unreasonable beliefs. Given this scenario, embracing difference as a productive and fundamental aspect to truly understand these epistemologies is crucial to advance fair and symmetrical epistemological dialogues. Current domestication models are key to interpreting human‐plant‐animal‐landscape entanglements. However, they have been criticized in the Amazonian context for remaining steeped in the Western logic of human control over nature and for neglecting local worldviews, which do not assume a dichotomy between nature and culture. In light of this, we propose a thought‐provoking exercise that aims to broaden ideas on domestication as inspired by Indigenous worldviews. We integrate insights derived from Amazonian Indigenous knowledge systems to construct a conceptual model of domestication. We then engage the synthesis resulting from this approach with concepts and theories from ecology and anthropology. In our model, plants, animals, supernatural beings and humans care for, manage and cultivate their domains. Since, according to Indigenous ontologies, all these beings have agency, intentionality, and human qualities, they all share the status of domesticators in our model. The outcome of the combined actions of these beings is an entirely socialized forest, formed by a mosaic of domūs of both humans and non‐humans. Thus, in our model, the forest is fully domesticated by the action of a multiplicity of beings, who possess symmetrical agencies and are constantly interacting socially. By following the reflective path constructed in our approach, we invite the reader to ‘think with’ Indigenous Peoples. Instigated by this framework, we suggest directions to broaden conventional ecological approaches used for studying socio‐ecological systems and promote conservation. We hope to inspire the creativity of current ecological research dynamics to design investigations that go beyond the anthropocentric perspective and the nature/culture dichotomy. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8d63aff00b2940d89a44bc2f13c93c9d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2575-8314 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | People and Nature |
| spelling | doaj-art-8d63aff00b2940d89a44bc2f13c93c9d2025-08-20T02:24:34ZengWileyPeople and Nature2575-83142025-03-017356057410.1002/pan3.10796Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domesticationMariana Franco Cassino0Guilherme Henriques Soares1Gilton Mendes dos Santos2Jonilda Hauwer Gouveia3João Paulo Lima Barreto4Dagoberto Lima Azevedo5Gabriel Sodré Maia6Juliana Lins7Clarinda Maria Ramos8Myrtle Pearl Shock9Marco Madella10Charles Roland Clement11Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Botânica Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Amazonas BrazilPrograma de Pós‐Graduação em Antropologia Social Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilNúcleo de Estudos da Amazônia Indígena (NEAI) Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilPrograma de Pós‐Graduação em Antropologia Social Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilNúcleo de Estudos da Amazônia Indígena (NEAI) Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilPrograma de Pós‐Graduação em Antropologia Social Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilPrograma de Pós‐Graduação em Antropologia Social Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilDepartment of Geography, Spatial Planning and Environment, Institute for Management Research Radboud University Nijmegen The NetherlandsPrograma de Pós‐Graduação em Antropologia Social Universidade Federal do Amazonas Manaus Amazonas BrazilDepartamento de Arqueologia, Instituto de Ciências da Sociedade Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará Santarém Pará BrazilCASEs ‐ Culture, Archaeology and Socio‐Ecological Dynamics Research Group, Department of Humanities Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona SpainInstituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Manaus Amazonas BrazilAbstract Indigenous knowledges are being increasingly recognized as fundamental for environmental governance, ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. However, they tend to be recognized by Western science only when they converge with Western scientific knowledge, while ontological differences are generally treated as irrelevant or unreasonable beliefs. Given this scenario, embracing difference as a productive and fundamental aspect to truly understand these epistemologies is crucial to advance fair and symmetrical epistemological dialogues. Current domestication models are key to interpreting human‐plant‐animal‐landscape entanglements. However, they have been criticized in the Amazonian context for remaining steeped in the Western logic of human control over nature and for neglecting local worldviews, which do not assume a dichotomy between nature and culture. In light of this, we propose a thought‐provoking exercise that aims to broaden ideas on domestication as inspired by Indigenous worldviews. We integrate insights derived from Amazonian Indigenous knowledge systems to construct a conceptual model of domestication. We then engage the synthesis resulting from this approach with concepts and theories from ecology and anthropology. In our model, plants, animals, supernatural beings and humans care for, manage and cultivate their domains. Since, according to Indigenous ontologies, all these beings have agency, intentionality, and human qualities, they all share the status of domesticators in our model. The outcome of the combined actions of these beings is an entirely socialized forest, formed by a mosaic of domūs of both humans and non‐humans. Thus, in our model, the forest is fully domesticated by the action of a multiplicity of beings, who possess symmetrical agencies and are constantly interacting socially. By following the reflective path constructed in our approach, we invite the reader to ‘think with’ Indigenous Peoples. Instigated by this framework, we suggest directions to broaden conventional ecological approaches used for studying socio‐ecological systems and promote conservation. We hope to inspire the creativity of current ecological research dynamics to design investigations that go beyond the anthropocentric perspective and the nature/culture dichotomy. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10796cultural landscapesIndigenous ontologiesmultispecies approachniche constructionnon‐human agencysocio‐ecological systems |
| spellingShingle | Mariana Franco Cassino Guilherme Henriques Soares Gilton Mendes dos Santos Jonilda Hauwer Gouveia João Paulo Lima Barreto Dagoberto Lima Azevedo Gabriel Sodré Maia Juliana Lins Clarinda Maria Ramos Myrtle Pearl Shock Marco Madella Charles Roland Clement Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication People and Nature cultural landscapes Indigenous ontologies multispecies approach niche construction non‐human agency socio‐ecological systems |
| title | Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication |
| title_full | Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication |
| title_fullStr | Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication |
| title_short | Thinking with Amazonian Indigenous Peoples to expand ideas on domestication |
| title_sort | thinking with amazonian indigenous peoples to expand ideas on domestication |
| topic | cultural landscapes Indigenous ontologies multispecies approach niche construction non‐human agency socio‐ecological systems |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10796 |
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