Beyond Property: Indigenous Territoriality and Commons Governance in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

• In Event: Common Challenges in Nature: Australia and Latin American Commons, Ecology and Governability

Abstract

This paper explores Indigenous territorial governance as articulated by the Kogui, Arhuaco, Wiwa, and Kankuamo peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Grounded in the Law of Origin and expressed through their Ancestral Knowledge Systems, the Four Indigenous Peoples of the Sierra understand territory as a living, relational whole—not as property to be divided, owned, or commodified. The Línea Negra, a network of interconnected sacred sites, maintains the unity of land, water, and all forms of life, guiding collective responsibility and spiritual care. These territorial practices challenge dominant models of governance that reduce land to discrete, extractable parcels within legal and economic frameworks. In contrast, the Indigenous vision affirms interconnectedness, reciprocity, and the inseparability of ecological and cultural integrity. By situating these insights in relation to other Indigenous critiques—such as those emerging from the Australian context— the paper argues how these practices offer a powerful critique of property regimes and contribute to broader conversations on commons governance and decolonial territoriality.

Author

• Sara Mejia-Munoz, Student