Canopy Tree Project
The Indigenous Knowledge Behind Our Forests
October 13, 2025
To many Indigenous communities, the significance of trees lies beyond their abundant nature of providing us with oxygen, shelter, and food. They are considered sacred sanctuaries, and amongst their vastness, possess both ancestral and protective qualities. This understanding stems from the belief that we share a deep reciprocal relationship with this species that dates back almost 350 million years.
Many Indigenous communities participate in rituals that involve communicating to trees, offering gifts, or putting on performances to honor them. In turn, they develop an understanding that their wellbeing is tethered to the health of their environment. As Indigenous People’s Day is upon us, some call it Columbus Day, it is imperative to recognize that Indigenous peoples long and ongoing successful history of protecting 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity reveals Indigenous wisdom should be a center point in environmental policies and practices.
By examining the African baobab and live-long trees of Africa, the mangrove tree native to Australia, and the khejri tree of Rajasthan, India, we will not only discover the vital properties these trees offer to the surrounding communities, but how they are viewed as pillars of respect for the natural world.
Healing Properties of the African Baobab and Live-long Trees
Traditional medicine runs deep in many African cultures. While modern medicine is widely used globally, it often has roots in nature and traditional knowledge. But due to the high costs and lack of accessibility of modern medicine as well as trust in traditional medicines, as of 2021, around 80% of Southern Africa’s population relies on medicinal plants for their health care.
The African baobab tree, scientifically known as Adansonia digitata, is widespread across the continent, especially flourishing in a belt of land stretching from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. In South Africa, its natural distribution is limited primarily from the Limpopo River to the Stoutpansberg mountain range, up in the north. This tree’s significance goes beyond its geographic range; it symbolizes the deep cultural and medicinal importance of traditional plant knowledge across Africa.
The San, a diverse community of hunter-gatherers who are bound by their historical and linguistic similarities, are the oldest inhabitants of Southern Africa. The San speak of a tale where one of their Gods disliked the baobab growing in his realm, so he threw it down to Earth where it landed upside down. Thus, the baobab has become known as “the upside-down tree,” which makes perfect sense if you look at their vast, thick trunks topped by a mass of root-like branches.
Most, if not all parts of the baobab are given a medicinal purpose. Its leaves are used to treat kidney and bladder issues, as well asthma and insect bites. Polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids in the leaves have anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and antidiarrheal properties. Leaves can be eaten fresh, dried, or powdered.
The baobab bark houses an alkaloid known as Adansonia. Alkaloids are organic compounds that contain nitrogen, and typically have a physiological effect, meaning it impacts how the body works when consumed. Bark can impact metabolic processes and immune responses which are helpful when fighting malaria and fever.
That’s not all, the tree bears fruits that are large oval shaped. They look a little like young coconuts but they contain a much prized pulp. This fruit pulp of the baobab is rich in vitamin C, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, antioxidants, and dietary fiber. It has a slightly sour, citrus-like taste and is often used to make drinks, flavor foods, or consumed as a powder. It can be effective in reducing the risk of hyperlipidemia — a condition where there are high levels of fat particles in the bloodstream.
Other parts of the baobab are also used as tools. For example, when mixed with water, the pollen of the baobab flower produces glue. Additionally, the bark’s fiber is used to make items including baskets, rope, and even musical instrument strings.
Another prominent tree of Africa is the live-long tree, its scientific name is Lannea discolor, and it grows in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and North West, and the countries of Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, and Mozambique. The tree likes to grow on rocky ridges in dry and sandy soils.
The tree’s roots, leaves, or bark are used to make natural poultices, materials that help to reduce inflammation, pain and protect wounds. The tree’s leaves can be used to make a soft and moist cushion and are often used to help to alleviate boils, sore eyes, and abscesses.
As well as making poultices the roots, leaves, and bark can be steeped in hot or cold water to extract their beneficial compounds which include flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, and triterpenoids. Often this tree, like tea, helps with a range of medical issues but is typically used to soothe bad stomachs, diarrhea, and constipation.
Coastal Forests, Carriers of Sacred Mangroves
Torres Strait Islanders, the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are situated between Queensland, Australia and Papua New Guinea, and Aboriginal Australians, who are the Indigenous people of the continent’s mainland, are stewards of the region’s mangroves.
Mangroves are species of trees and shrubs that live in the salty coastal intertidal zone between the land and the sea, or sea water estuaries. Mangrove forests only grow in tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures and they are famous for their tangled roots that often grow above the water line. They are a vital natural flood barrier protecting coastal communities from the tides, prevent soil erosion and are also a safe haven for juvenile reef fish and invertebrates.
The Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal Australians both prize the mangroves for their vital role in maintaining the environment but both cultures also harbor strong spiritual connections with the mangroves, as they do with the land and all living beings. They believe in the interconnectedness of all elements of the Earth and therefore view themselves as an extension of their surroundings. These First Peoples vividly also understand how important this ecosystem is to their own survival.
Mangrove trees help feed them – the fruit of mangrove species, such as the nypa palm, is edible after preparation, along with the nectar of its flowers. Plus a vast range of invertebrates calling the mangroves and the waters their roots are immersed in home: such as clams, mud crabs, mangrove worms, and fish. The Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders recognize the importance of preserving this bounty and practice sustainable living. For instance, they only collect mud crabs when they are in season. In the off season, they allow the crab population to recover until the season begins again. In this way, they continue to be aware of the natural life cycle around them and work in harmony with it.
Just as with the balboa and the long-live tree, many illnesses from headaches, ulcers, and boils, have reportedly been treated with mangrove plants. Again it is the leaves, bark, roots, and fruits which are used in traditional medicine, due to the natural antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal properties.
Additionally, certain mangrove trees including the cedar, cannonball, and grey species, are known for their sturdy wood, which is often used to build boats, as well as make spears and boomerangs.
The Resilient Khejri Tree of Rajasthan, India
The khejri tree, its scientific name is Prosopis cineraria, is the state tree of Rajasthan, in the north west region of India. This tree has huge historical and cultural significance in the region dating back to the 18th century.
In 1730, Bishnoi members, a Hindu community in the Thar Desert of India, sacrificed their lives to protect the khejri trees. The Bishnoi, who can be traced back to the 15th century, follow the teachings of Guru Jambheshwar, who prioritized the necessity of environmental conservation and non-violence.
So it was that in 1730 when the Maharaja of Jodhpur sent soldiers to cut down khejri trees in the Bishnoi village of Khejarli, that the local people were forced to protect them as part of their religious practices. Men, women, and children wrapped themselves around the trees to physically block them from being felled. 363 died in the process. This act of self-sacrifice moved the Maharaja to stop and he not only apologized but issued a royal decree banning the cutting of trees in Bishnoi villages from then on. This event became known as the Khejarli Massacre.
It is said that their sacrifice in 1730 sparked India’s first environmental movement.
To this day, the khejri trees are an invaluable resource. Rajasthan sees little rainfall, and temperatures remain high. However, thanks to the protective canopy of the khejri, farmers are able to grow pearl millet, a type of grain that thrives in dry climates, and is a staple for the people of Rajasthan.
Furthermore, the tree’s deep roots can access groundwater that many shallow crops cannot, and the khejri’s leaves, once they fall and decompose, help add organic matter to the soil.
The khejri also provides timber for construction including houses and boats. In times of food shortage, its bark can be processed into flour and then used in cakes. The tree has also been used for a variety of medicinal purposes such as bronchitis, muscle tremors, and asthma.
Become Part of the Movement
These are just some of the life saving properties we owe to trees. But every single one of us alive owes them. Trees are the silent guardians of all life: they give us the air we breathe and the shade that cools our world. They give us food, wood, provide habitats for millions of other species, they protect our soil and they heal our souls when we are down. Trees will forever be an integral part of our environment, and it is our responsibility to protect them.
Through the Canopy Tree Project, EARTHDAY.ORG has planted tens of millions of trees across the globe working with local communities on the ground, with the primary focus of reforestation, alongside the ongoing goals of combating climate change and protecting biodiversity. Donating as little as $1 today can plant a tree.
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