Beyond Development: “Freedom to Be” Presents Indigenous Perspectives on Spirituality and Progress
“For me, true development would be the sovereignty to practice our own spirituality, beliefs and rituals. And when we get back these practices, I think we will have the development that we want.”
Taily Terena articulated this crucial insight during “Freedom to Be: Indigenous Perspectives on How the Mainstream Development Model Affects Their Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief,” a discussion organized by the Center for Earth Ethics on April 24. The virtual session, co-sponsored by Union Theological Seminary, the American Indian Law Alliance, the United Confederation of Taino People, the Inclusive Conservation Academy and Project Access Indigenous Partnership, was part of our ongoing Freedom to Be series, which explores the 2022 United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief’s report on the status of freedom of religion or belief among Indigenous communities.
The panel featured Taily Terena, Terena Nation, a land defender, climate advocate and anthropologist of the Brazilian wetlands, and Dr. Yolanda Teran, a specialist on education, language and biodiversity of the Kichwa Nation of Ecuador. Kasike (chief) Roberto Múkaro Borrero, of the Guainía Taíno Tribe and strategic advisor to CEE, moderated. Executive Director Karenna Gore introduced and closed the program.
Throughout the dialogue, both panelists underscored the inherent disconnect between the Western construct of “religion” and the spiritual lifeways of Indigenous Peoples—a recurring theme throughout the whole Freedom to Be series. As Ms. Terena poignantly stated, “My religion is my culture.” “Our elders say that every single act that you do in your life is your spirituality,” said Dr. Teran. Indigenous spiritualities, often deeply intertwined with the land itself, transcend the confines of a singular religious doctrine.
Further, many Indigenous communities associate the word “religion” with the traumatic legacy of settler colonial violence. Ms. Terena recounted how governmental authorities colluded with Christian missionaries to forbid her community from practicing their culture and spirituality. This suppression was often violent and brutal: in many instances, shamans were burned alive in their own homes. Against this backdrop of violence, stigmatization and alienation, both panelists spoke about the importance of reclaiming and reviving ancestral traditions through intergenerational dialogue.
We don’t recognize this so-called development as sustainable or development. It is actually invading your lands, poisoning our waters, poisoning the air that we breathe—and this is a barrier for us to practice our spirituality.
Central to the discussion was the destructive impact of mainstream development on Indigenous lands and spiritual practices. “We don’t recognize this so-called development as sustainable or development,” said Ms. Terena. “It is actually invading your lands, poisoning our waters, poisoning the air that we breathe—and this is a barrier for us to practice our spirituality.”
Outside developers, often touting the banner of sustainability, “don’t pay attention to the people living there, to the animals, to the plants, to the whole ecosystem,” said Dr. Teran. “Now, as always, we say: everything is interconnected; is interrelated. So if you destroy something, even a small thing, you are going to destroy the harmony, the balance.”
Multinational development actors rarely take into account the spiritual and cultural connections that Indigenous communities have with the natural world, and the existential challenges that development poses to Indigenous ways of life.
This was illustrated in a poignant story from Ms. Terena about Enó Uné, the water deity revered by her community. Due to agro-industrial development and the climate crisis, the lagoon seen as Enó Uné’s home is drying up. “We cannot do our practices to honor Enó Uné—because there is no more water to honor her,” she said. “If this lagoon gets totally dry, Enó Uné is not coming anymore—our spiritual entity is not coming anymore. So how could you put a price on this?” Enó Uné’s absence is a vivid reminder of the devastation wrought by environmental exploitation in the name of development.
Meanwhile, governments and corporations that designate lands for carbon offsets and sequestration often bar Indigenous Peoples from their ancestral territories in the process. Dr. Teran described the “suffering” that results from this displacement. “They have denied access to our sacred places,” she said, “to the places where we need to go for praying, for meditating, for crying, for telling Mother Earth what is going on in our lives.” The spiritual and psychological dimensions of this displacement are compounded by the fact that Indigenous Peoples are also cut off from their “ancestral pharmacy.”
Now, as always, we say: everything is interconnected; is interrelated. So if you destroy something, even a small thing, you are going to destroy the harmony, the balance.
The speakers recommended ways to strengthen the UN Special Rapporteur’s 2022 report. Ms. Tererna highlighted the urgent need to address the mental health impacts stemming from cultural suppression and the importance of halting cultural appropriation from non-Indigenous outsiders who “just steal our knowledge to promote themselves.” Dr. Teran called for strengthening international frameworks to protect the “collective rights of Indigenous Peoples and the rights of Mother Earth.”
This event was a powerful reminder that genuine development must transcend mere economic growth by preserving cultural and ecological integrity. The resilience and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples—all too often marginalized, suppressed and ignored in global discussions—are essential in shaping a just future for all.
“How can you put a price on something that is not only related to the land, but to our spiritual practices?” concluded Ms. Terena. “How do you put a price on something that is not only damaging my life right now, but will damage the relationship and the connection to spirituality for many generations?”
