Reviving Indigenous forest stewardship

The Yiaku are one of Kenya’s smallest Indigenous Peoples groups, living around Mukogodo Forest in Laikipia county in Kenya. For generations, they have depended on the forest for honey, medicinal plants, cultural ceremonies and traditional ecological knowledge.

However, decades of marginalisation, cultural assimilation and intermarriage with neighbouring communities pushed their language and traditions towards extinction.
Today, Yiakunte is recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an endangered language.

Since 2003, the Yiaku Laikipiak Trust (YLT) has worked to preserve Yiaku culture, protect Mukogodo Forest, promote women’s empowerment and strengthen Indigenous livelihoods.

Forest and Farm Facility activities

With support from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) from 2024-25, YLT strengthened efforts to connect cultural revitalisation with environmental conservation.

Through community consultations, training and resource mapping, the Yiaku Cultural Resource Centre at Kurikuri was identified as a hub for documenting and sharing traditional songs, stories, crafts, customs and Indigenous knowledge. FFF also supported preservation of cultural artefacts and intergenerational learning between elders, women, young people and children.

FFF further supported the establishment of an Indigenous botanical garden, in partnership with women’s groups. The garden conserves endangered indigenous trees and medicinal plants from Mukogodo Forest, while promoting traditional healing knowledge and strengthening the community’s connection to its ancestral landscape.

More than 1,000 women, elders and young people also benefited from training in cultural documentation, traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous Peoples’ enterprise development.

Significance of impact

The initiative has strengthened the revival of the Yiakunte language and increased cultural pride within the community. The Yiaku Cultural Resource Centre and community-led documentation activities are helping preserve knowledge that was at risk of disappearing.

At the same time, conservation efforts have reinforced the Yiaku’s role as custodians of Mukogodo Forest, supporting biodiversity protection and the restoration of culturally important plant species.

Women and elders now play a leading role in language instruction, cultural preservation and forest stewardship, while greater participation by young people has strengthened social cohesion and cultural resilience. The community increasingly recognises its language, heritage and traditional knowledge as valuable assets for conservation, learning and sustainable livelihoods.

Conclusion

FFF support has enabled the Yiaku community to strengthen both cultural and environmental protection through language revitalisation, preserving cultural heritage, sharing intergenerational knowledge and conserving indigenous forests and medicinal plants.

By linking cultural identity with biodiversity conservation, the Yiaku are demonstrating how Indigenous knowledge can strengthen resilience and safeguard both people and nature for future generations.

Reviving Indigenous forest stewardship

Forest and Farm Facility activities

Significance of impact

Conclusion

Further reading