Earth spirituality and the people's struggle for life: reflection from the perspectives of indigenous peoples

Ecumenical Review, The, July, 2002 by Elizabeth S. Tapia

Sometimes we wonder why Christians need to preach about God. For us, God's Presence is clear in all of creation. Why do Christians not allow Creation To make God known to us? (Iding, a Manobo woman from Mindanao, Philippines) (1)

We have always lived in these forests. Wild animals used to roam freely In search of food. Neither of us was frightened of the other. We are all part of one family. (Kariyan, an Adivasi from Kerala, India) (2)

What is "earth spirituality"? How can this spirituality give hope and strength for people struggling for life? What is the spirituality behind our caring for life? What are the implications for mission?

I am speaking from my perspective as a brown woman Protestant theologian from the Philippines. I was born and raised in a rural town of Bulacan, north of Manila. I belong to the native groups called Tagalog (taga-ilog), which means "people of the river". But now I have become a migrant theological worker cum ecumenist. In the meantime, my feet are trying to be grounded in the rich Swiss soil. My lungs rejoice at being able to breathe fresh, unpolluted air while savouring the beauty of nature around the Bossey Ecumenical Institute.

I marvel at the wisdom and courage of the indigenous peoples in my country, the Philippines. I do not speak for them, but I hope to re-echo their voices by giving a glimpse of their struggle for life. They are people of the land, we are people of the river, some are people of the sea, others people of the mountain, people of the forests. Land is their life and their way of life is based on earth. Earth is sacred.

I believe the indigenous peoples all over the world can teach us a great deal about caring for life, about embracing the earth. They live what it means to care for life, to care for women, for the extended human and non-human families and communities. Their creation-centred spirituality, which I will call earth spirituality, gives hope and strength to people as they face many struggles in life. They live in harmony with the creation in spite of struggles due to racist, classist, sexist values and dominating systems.

The meaning of spirituality?

Let us begin with fundamental questions. What is spirituality? How, do Asian liberation theologians understand and experience spirituality? As early as 1989, our EATWOT (Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians) Asia group grappled with this basic question. Here are some thoughts from our reflections:

   Spirituality for us is bound up with life
   And all that life involves.
   It is freedom and food,
   Dignity and equality,
   Community and sharing of resources.
   It is creativity and celebration
   Of the God of life and liberation.

   Spirituality originates
   From the Spirit of God ...
   Spirituality is contemplation and praxis.
   It is all that can contribute
   To the balance and blossoming,
   The healing and wholeness of life,
   Of the human race, the earth, the cosmos. (3)

Spirituality is the way persons live out their life in the Spirit as expressed in their thoughts, words and deeds. It is a thoughtful reflection and application of divine sense into practical, human, material sense. What is the spirituality behind our task of caring for life and living with care?

Earth spirituality. Manang Iding is an indigenous woman leader from Mindanao. She belongs to the Manobo tribe. She embodies earth spirituality: she has a strong sense of connection with Mother Earth, seeing the Divine Presence in all of creation, sensing revelation in creation, embracing her identity close to earth. She wonders why some Christians in our country "need to preach God" when all the time they recognize God's presence in all of creation (note the parallel between her belief and Rom. 1:20).

Kariyan, one of the voices of Adivasis (indigenous peoples) of India, speaks of his people of the forests, living in harmony with wild animals, in peace and not afraid of each other. "We are all part of one family." (Note the parallel with Adam and Eve's relationship with their fellow creatures while in the Garden of Eden.) In a word, these peoples' life is marked by a profound inter-relatedness.

Earth spirituality points to the spirituality of creation. Among indigenous peoples, all parts of creation are spiritual, sacred, mysterious and inter-related. The sanctity of life is interwoven with this creation-centred spirituality.

Within the ecumenical movement, issues of justice, peace and integrity of creation have recently been interlinked with issues of Faith and Order. From the 1991 WCC Canberra assembly's major theme prayer "Come, Holy Spirit--Renew the Whole Creation", to the 1998 Harare assembly's admonition, "Turn to God, Rejoice in Hope", creation and life have become central dimensions of our faith and worship life. Caring for life is an ecclesial, ecumenical, ecological and eschatological task which belongs to all of us together.

Land is sacred, life is sacred. Land does not belong to the indigenous peoples, rather, they belong to the land. Land is sacred. Macliing Dulag, the Cordillera Chico River Dam resister who was murdered by armed men in his house during the Marcos regime in the Philippines, once said: "Such arrogance to speak of owning the land, when you shall be owned by it. How can you own that which will outlive you? Only the race owns the land because only the race lives forever."