Thinking with Amazonian indigenous peoples to expand ideas on domestication

Cassino, Mariana Franco; Soares, Guilherme Henriques; Santos, Gilton Mendes dos; Gouveia, Jonilda Hauwer; Barreto, João Paulo Lima; Azevedo, Dagoberto Lima; Maia, Gabriel Sodré; Lins, Juliana; Ramos, Clarinda Maria; Shock, Myrtle Pear; Madella, Marco; Clement, Charles Roland

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10796

Thinking with Amazonian indigenous peoples to expand ideas on domestication

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Cassino MF, Soares GH, dos Santos GM, Gouveia JH, Barreto JPL, Azevedo DL, et al. Thinking with Amazonian indigenous peoples to expand ideas on domestication. People Nat (Hoboken). 2025 Mar;7(3):60-574. DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10796

Abstract

Indigenous knowledges are being increasingly recognized as fundamental for environmental governance, ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. However, they tend to be recognized by Western science only when they converge with Western scientific knowledge, while ontological differences are generally treated as irrelevant or unreasonable beliefs. Given this scenario, embracing difference as a productive and fundamental aspect to truly understand these epistemologies is crucial to advance fair and symmetrical epistemological dialogues. Current domestication models are key to interpreting human-plant-animal-landscape entanglements. However, they have been criticized in the Amazonian context for remaining steeped in the Western logic of human control over nature and for neglecting local worldviews, which do not assume a dichotomy between nature and culture. In light of this, we propose a thought-provoking exercise that aims to broaden ideas on domestication as inspired by Indigenous worldviews. We integrate insights derived from Amazonian Indigenous knowledge systems to construct a conceptual model of domestication. We then engage the synthesis resulting from this approach with concepts and theories from ecology and anthropology. In our model, plants, animals, supernatural beings and humans care for, manage and cultivate their domains. Since, according to Indigenous ontologies, all these beings have agency, intentionality, and human qualities, they all share the status of domesticators in our model. The outcome of the combined actions of these beings is an entirely socialized forest, formed by a mosaic of domūs of both humans and non-humans. Thus, in our model, the forest is fully domesticated by the action of a multiplicity of beings, who possess symmetrical agencies and are constantly interacting socially. By following the reflective path constructed in our approach, we invite the reader to 'think with' Indigenous Peoples. Instigated by this framework, we suggest directions to broaden conventional ecological approaches used for studying socio-ecological systems and promote conservation. We hope to inspire the creativity of current ecological research dynamics to design investigations that go beyond the anthropocentric perspective and the nature/culture dichotomy.