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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/indigenous-peoples-climate-change-mental-health/>
"Ogiek beekeepers in Kenya are noticing less honey in their hives.
For generations, this hunter-gatherer community has lived within the lush Mau
Forest that carpets part of southwest Kenya. The Ogiek are deeply connected to
this rich environment, explains Daniel Kobei, executive director of the Ogiek
Peoples’ Development Program: “Most of our lives entail being in the forest.”
Beekeeping is one particularly strong connection. Honey collected from Ogiek
hives is central to the community as food and for rituals; in the wedding
ceremony, a bride brings honey to the home of the bridegroom. These days, honey
plays an economic role on top of its cultural significance, as Ogiek beekeepers
sell some for income.
Now, decreasing biodiversity and changing rain patterns in the Mau Forest are
evident in the community’s hives, according to Kobei. Swaths of forest have
been logged, replaced with plantations of non-native trees that don’t produce
pollen. With less rain, flowers don’t blossom as much. Bee populations are
declining, particularly the stingless bee. According to Kobei, some Ogiek
beekeepers who used to harvest honey twice a year now collect honey just once.
The environmental changes impacting beehives compound the disconnection the
community has already experienced as they have been evicted from their
ancestral home. While the community has long fought for their rights to the
forest — they scored a landmark legal victory last year — Ogiek people have
been kept away from their places of rituals, their beehives, their homes.
“That kind of disconnect has also disconnected the minds of people, made them
feel like they are not OK, weak in the bodies, weak in the mind,” Kobei says."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
