Congratulations to Mphatheleni Makaulule, Founder of the Mupo Foundation who was recently awarded a Global Leadership Award by the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (FIMI). The Mupo Foundation works to preserve and revive cultural and biological diversity in South Africa and in 2011, AWDF provided a grant of US$25,000 to the organisation in support of training of women’s groups in land rights and environmental protection issues, as well as undertake advocacy activities on the protection of sacred sites, watersheds and forests.

Mphatheleni has been working closely with women of the VhaVenda nation in northern South Africa, to preserve local seed varieties (especially the sacred finger millet known locally as Mufhoho) in order to secure food sovereignty. The foundation has also opposed mining in their community which constitutes a threat to land, and a traditional way of life.

Accepting the award, Mpatheleni stated:

“I say ‘Aa, Ro livhuwa’ (Thank you) to FIMI. Even though I went to school and university, I can never be disconnected from indigenous ways. I have a bond with my culture, and my ancestors. We the descendents of the vhavenda traditional healers, children of indigenous clans, recognize that as humans we depend all the other creatures of the Earth for our wellbeing. Our lives are intimately connected to the wellbeing of our indigenous forests, rivers, springs and our indigenous seed and food as evolved with us over time.

We, as women, hold the responsibility for the custodianship of life, because the ancestors chose us to be Makhadzi. Makahdzi is not just a name or title; it is a role – a spiritual role. We are the custodians of water, soil, seed and forests, and traditional medicine that come from indigenous trees. Rituals and food are our responsibility. At this time of such destruction of our Mother Earth, Mupo, we cannot stand back and watch life being destroyed. As mothers we recognize the pain of life being destroyed so recklessly when it takes so much to create life.

I believe that women need to stand up now as never before, against mining and all that is destroying life. We must do this for the sake of future generations of all of life. Human children will have no future without the children of the fish and the birds, the animals and the frogs, the bees and the plants, the waters, the rocks and the soils. We are born at this time to take a stand, to call people to wake up before we loose it all.

This award is a huge recognition of the task which I feel that I have in this life. The meaning of my name is “build for me”, and so I see that my ancestors want me to work with them to rebuild what has been undermined – our indigenous ways of living which protect and respect Mupo, all of creation. We are part of creation and we have a responsibility to take care of it. I never thought that my vision and being a Phangami (a leader from behind) would be recognized in this way and I would like to also acknowledge the Makhadzi and communities of Venda, and all those who are committed to reviving their ancestral path. This award from FIMI is a great motivation to continue to stand for the real role of indigenous women in protecting life.

Our role as spiritual leaders is to bring harmony (shothodzo) and wellbeing to all of Mother Earth’s communities. To all women around the world, we must remember our role as mothers and healers. Today we need to heal our Earth from all challenges we are facing through climate change, biodiversity extinctions, water shortages, We need to learn from our knowledgeable elder women before they pass away. They are our living library, but not forever.

I am a defender of sacred sites and indigenous spirituality, which is why I defended the destruction of Phiphidi sacred waterfall and also the role of makahdzi. Venda people know that they cannot be chiefs or leaders without the leadership of the makhadzi, the women. We women are natural leaders; our leadership is a scared leadership role.

I call on the South African government and those who appreciate the vital role of indigenous knowledge in dealing with the many crises of ecosystem collapse and climate change, to recognize indigenous peoples and their way of life. This means, as the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights calls for, recognizing our sacred natural sites and territories and custodial governance systems so that we can continue to live according to our indigenous knowledge systems. Indigenous knowledge is rooted in practice, not in libraries. It is about protecting the sanctity of life, as a way of life, as we have done for millennia. Now, more than ever, the industrial world needs to wake up to the fact that our planet is in crisis and everyone needs to learn once again that we are inextricably part of the web of life, and need to abide by her ecological laws – for the sake of all the children of all species.”