Indigenous Knowledge Training undertaken through Kiwa EMPOWER

Indigenous Knowledge isn’t static – it lives through practice, teaching, and everyday life.

Across 20 communities in Fiji’s Northern Division, Kiwa EMPOWER is partnering with Sauvaka Cultural Consultancy – Indigenous Knowledge specialists – to help communities document and strengthen their traditional knowledge systems.

Kiwa EMPOWER works across Fiji, Tuvalu, and Solomon Islands, empowering communities to thrive in a changing climate through ecosystem restoration, Indigenous knowledge, and inclusive decision-making.

Based on their topic on “Indigenous Leadership – Memory, Vanua & Climate,” communities were reminded of the importance of their identity, their roles and responsibilities within the vanua, and the value of working together through ”solesolevaki” for the sustainable development and well-being of their villages.

The Indigenous Knowledge Training also enabled communities to reconnect with traditional practices that were once carried out by their ancestors but have gradually been lost over time. Participants expressed their appreciation to the Sauvaka Cultural Consultants for helping them rediscover their cultural roots, strengthen their connection to the vanua, and better understand their individual roles and responsibilities in preserving their indigenous knowledge and traditions for future generations.

Communities explored what Indigenous Knowledge means, why documenting it matters, and the difference between memory, practice, and recorded knowledge — while mapping food systems and recording environmental observations to inform Nature-based Solutions (NbS).

Key findings from the field:

Communities are ready and eager to document their Indigenous Knowledge

Climate change is disrupting traditional indicators — breadfruit now fruits year-round, winds are shifting, and saltwater intrusion is increasing

Rural-to-urban migration is affecting how knowledge is passed on to younger generations

By bringing together Indigenous wisdom and modern science, Kiwa EMPOWER is helping shape climate solutions that are effective, culturally grounded, and built to last.

The Kiwa EMPOWER Project is being implemented in 24 communities in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu and is being implemented by Live & Learn Fiji in partnership with Live & Learn Solomon Islands and Live & Learn Environmental Education Tuvalu.

For more information, refer to our website: www.livelearnfiji.org

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade I European Union in the Pacific I La politique étrangère du Canada – Affaires mondiales Canada I AFD – Agence Française de Développement I New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade I Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme – SPREP I IUCN Oceania I Pacific-Community-SPC I Kiwa Initiative

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