Indigenous Natural and First Law in Planetary Health
Nicole Redvers,
Anne Poelina,
Clinton Schultz,
Daniel M. Kobei,
Cicilia Githaiga,
Marlikka Perdrisat,
Donald Prince,
Be’sha Blondin
Affiliations
Nicole Redvers
School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, 1301 N Columbia Rd Stop, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
Anne Poelina
Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia, PO. Box 2747, Broome, WA 6725, Australia
Clinton Schultz
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Bond University, 14 University Drive, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia
Daniel M. Kobei
Ogiek People’s Development Program (OPDP), Egerton PO Box 424-20115, Kenya
Cicilia Githaiga
Wangari Githaiga & Co Advocates, Muthaiga Suites, 1st Floor, Suite 12, Vuli Lane, Off exit 4, Muthaiga Interchange, Thika Superhighway, Nairobi PO Box 58945-00200, Kenya
Marlikka Perdrisat
Sydney Law School, The University of Sydney, New Law Building, Eastern Avenue, Camperdown Campus, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Donald Prince
Nakazdli Whut’en, PO. Box 1785, Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0, Canada
Indigenous Peoples associate their own laws with the laws of the natural world, which are formally known as or translated as Natural or First Law. These laws come from the Creator and the Land through our ancestral stories and therefore, they are sacred. All aspects of life and existence depend on living and following these natural First Laws. Since colonization, Indigenous Peoples’ Natural Laws have been forcibly replaced by modern-day laws that do not take into account the sacred relationship between the Earth and all of her inhabitants. The force of societies who live outside of Natural Law has ensured the modern-day consequences of not living in balance with nature. Pandemics and global environmental change, including climate change, are all consequences of not following the Natural Laws that are encapsulated by the interconnected nature of the universe. Here we discuss Natural Law from an Indigenous paradigm and worldview which carries implications for planetary health and wider environmental movements around the globe.
