Talking to Trees: A Discourse Analysis of Media Reports on Indigenous Practices Among the Ogiek and Kuria of Kenya to Mitigate Climate Change

Abstract

They talk to trees and give them ancestral names, revering them as sacred treasures that sustain their generations and are intertwined in their cultural practices. The Ogiek and Kuria are among Kenya’s cultural communities that have sustained their indigenous practices to mitigate climate change. Although these practices are recognized as significant sources of local knowledge and as an alternative community climate change mitigation, they are slowly diminishing or overtaken by privileged discourses. This paper investigates the place of indigenous environmental practices, their articulation and ranking within media discourses on climate change. The objective is to unravel the framing of indigenous knowledge systems, their legitimization or suppression in climate reportage. The paper uses a discourse analysis of textual sources, such as grey literature, media depictions, and community narratives. The findings expose variant levels of indigenous ecological knowledge as well as challenges in integrating the practices into media discourses on climate change. Narrative patterns suggest an inclusion and exclusion of certain voices thus suggesting epistemological conflicts, hegemonic relations, and dominance in environmental governance. This study emphasizes the significance of indigenous practices as key to climate change. It highlights the need for the media to articulate indigenous voices in climate change policy framework.