Resilience Strategies during the Climate Crisis: Reading the “Book of Nature” with Kauma Traditionalism Religion

Abstract

The Kauma sub-clan of the larger Mijikenda community from Kilifi County, in coastal Kenya, has deep roots in a traditional religious system known as dini ya jadi (the ancient religion). This indigenous faith is characterized by its sacred relationship with the natural world, philosophically described as the "Book of Nature." In Kauma cosmology, forests, rivers, and land are not merely ecological resources but spiritual entities through which the ancestors and the Mulungu aliye moyo (the living Creator) communicate with the living. This is a worldview that has historically guided sustainable environmental conservation practices in their farming, hunting, and fishing. However, with the advancing challenges of climate change and ecological degradation, the survival of the sacred Kaya forests themselves is under intense threat. These forests, preserved through ritual and customary law, offer a living model of indigenous environmental stewardship that has protected communities from the harshest effects of climate shifts, such as famines and flooding. This paper addresses the marginalization and erosion of indigenous knowledge systems in mainstream environmental discourse and policy by interrogating Kauma's religious cosmology, particularly its practices derived from the "Book of Nature," which offers a significant framework for conceptualizing meaningful contributions to contemporary climate resilience strategies. By employing African eco-spirituality theory and drawing from oral traditions, proverbs, and songs, this paper aims to retrieve and reconstruct valuable ecological insights inherent in indigenous spirituality. This paper advocates for the reintegration of sacred environmental ethics into broader climate solutions, thereby enhancing both theological and ecological scholarship. It also calls for a decisive return to the balanced application of the “Two Books,” the “Book of Nature” and the “Book of Scripture.” This paper contributes to the growing literature on religious indigenous cosmologies during climate change.