Territorial management in indigenous matrifocal societies: Case studies on the Khasi, Wayuu, Shipibo-Conibo and Moso peoples

Over the centuries, Indigenous Peoples have developed ingenious and dynamic ways of managing their constantly evolving territories while avoiding the depletion of natural resources. Some Indigenous lifestyles have faced various challenges and have led to a less sustainable management of their resources.

The transformations experienced by Indigenous Peoples today result from a combination of environmental, social and political elements, in addition to internal and external factors. Nonetheless, the holistic nature of these life systems exposes them to serious threats. The modification of one element may alter its relationships with other elements and therefore affect the entire system.

One of the least studied effects is the impact generated by the weakening or alteration of the governance and social structures of Indigenous Peoples in the management of natural resources.

This publication, which brings together four case studies on Indigenous societies with a matrilineal or matrilocal social organization system, seeks to contribute, without doing so exhaustively, to the understanding of the territorial management systems of Indigenous Peoples and their close relationship to political and social organization systems.