Weaving Culture, Enriching Future: Empowering Indigenous Communities as Bedrock of Sustainable Development (Philippines National Indigenous People's Month)
OCTOBER 15, 2025
This October, as we observe Philippine National Indigenous Peoples Month, we honour the strength, resilience, and wisdom of the Indigenous peoples of the Philippines — the first peoples of the archipelago, the original caretakers of land and water, and the protectors of knowledge that has sustained life for generations.
As a Filipino diaspora organisation based here on Turtle Island, we understand that our struggles are deeply interconnected. The fight for Indigenous sovereignty does not stop at national borders. It lives in the mountains of the Cordillera, in the coastal communities of Mindanao, and here, on the lands and waters that have been home to Indigenous nations since time immemorial.
Our liberation is shared. Our responsibilities are shared.
Yet today, too many Indigenous communities in the Philippines continue to defend their ancestral territories against extractive projects that destroy ecosystems, displace families, and erode culture. Over 1.25 million hectares of Indigenous lands are under threat. Land defenders are harassed, criminalised, and even killed for protecting what is sacred. These injustices are part of a long and ongoing story — one where colonial interests and corporate power still shape whose lives and lands are deemed expendable.
We must always remember: what is done to the land is done to the people.
But this month is not only about resistance — it is also about possibility. It is about imagining futures where Indigenous peoples do not merely survive but thrive. Indigenous futurism reminds us that Indigenous identity is not something frozen in time. It is a living, evolving force that belongs in the heart of every conversation about climate, technology, and justice. It is the blueprint for a sustainable and equitable future.
“As a woman of Waray and Ati descent, whose ancestors were the first peoples of the Philippines and the people of first contact, I carry their strength, their stories, and their vision with me. Indigenous futurism calls us to reimagine power, to reshape narratives, and to build futures where Indigenous peoples are not pushed to the margins but stand at the centre. It is about creating a world where our knowledge informs the decisions that shape tomorrow, where our stories guide how we care for one another and the land, and where justice, reciprocity, and care are not distant ideals but shared responsibilities.
Our leadership is vital in advancing sustainable development — ensuring that solutions to the climate crisis, economic inequality, and environmental destruction are grounded in Indigenous wisdom. And as emerging technologies continue to shape the future, our voices must lead in defining how they are used, so that innovation becomes a tool for liberation rather than dispossession.” - Kristina Corpin-Moser, Executive Director, Filipino BC
Here on Turtle Island, our responsibility goes beyond words. That means standing with Indigenous communities in the Philippines as they protect their lands and assert their rights, while also supporting resurgence and self-determination here where we live. It means reimagining what sustainable development looks like — not as unchecked growth, but as balance, reciprocity, and care for the land and all who depend on it.
This Philippine Indigenous Peoples Month is a moment to imagine how our shared future can be built differently.
Across oceans and generations, Indigenous peoples are already charting that path — designing community-led solutions, revitalizing ancestral knowledge, and shaping how technology and innovation can serve collective well-being rather than deepen exploitation. Our role is to walk beside them, to listen deeply, and to help create space where Indigenous leadership guides decisions about how we live, govern, and grow.
The future ahead is not a distant horizon but something we create together — grounded in ancestral wisdom, guided by values of justice and care, and strengthened by the possibilities of emerging technologies. If we choose it, that future can be one where innovation and tradition move hand in hand, and where the leadership of Indigenous peoples shapes a world that honours the past while transforming what comes next.
