Natural resources play an important role in the shaping of a culture or the survival of a society. The relationship between man and his dependency on the environment has been a major cause of conflicts throughout the history of the world. The Mau Forest, an ecological haven in Kenya, is an example of such conflict. The Mau supports an abundance of diverse plant and animal life as well as one of the last indigenous forest dwellers, the Ogiek.

The Ogiek, commonly referred to as the “caretakers” of the forest, have existed for centuries in a peaceful and symbiotic relationship with their homeland. The Ogiek is a forest-dependent community who have resisted, struggled and survived decades of discrimination and eviction from their ancestral land. Since the onset of the colonial invasion the Mau Forest has undergone environmental chaos of all living plants and animals. This loss of natural resources and the denial of spiritual and cultural rights of their homeland have had a devastating affect on the continuance of the Ogiek identity. The Ogiek individuality, spirituality, and economic survival are based upon the biodiversity and ecosystem of the Mau Forest. Although the Ogiek have maintained their heritage for centuries through a symbiotic relationship with the Mau Forest, they now face cultural extinction due to government policies that are destroying their traditional homeland and denying their right to exist.

The vitality of the biodiversity and the ecological system of the Mau Forest is central to the tradition, spiritual growth, and economic livelihood of the Ogiek. Therefore, the continued existence of the indigenous Ogiek is dependent upon the survival of the Mau Forest, and their ability to live in it, for without it they will cease to exist.

read the whole thesis at:
http://www.ogiek.org/indepth/forest-guardians.htm
or go to: http://www.ogiek.org and click on "Indepth"