Retrieving the Sacred Ecologies: Indigenous Ecofeminist Resistance in The Unbowed

Retrieving the Sacred Ecologies: Indigenous Ecofeminist Resistance in The Unbowed. Abstract This paper, titled “Retrieving Sacred Ecologies: Indigenous Ecofeminist Resistance in The Unbowed,” examines Wangari Maathai’s memoir through the theoretical framework of Vandana Shiva’s concept of maldevelopment as articulated in Staying Alive. The study analyses how colonial and capitalist models of development lead to ecological destruction, cultural alienation, and the marginalization of Indigenous communities. In The Unbowed, Maathai critiques environmentally exploitative developmental practices that disrupt the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. The memoir foregrounds Indigenous ecological knowledge, women-centered environmental ethics, and community-based sustainability as alternatives to destructive modernity. Through memories of land, forests, rivers, and cultivation, Maathai reconstructs sacred ecological relationships rooted in Indigenous traditions and collective responsibility. The paper further explores the Green Belt Movement as an Indigenous ecofeminist form of resistance that combines ecological restoration with women’s empowerment and social activism. By connecting environmental degradation with patriarchal and colonial structures of power, The Unbowed redefines ecological activism as a struggle for environmental justice, cultural survival, and communal healing. The study ultimately argues that Maathai’s memoir retrieves Indigenous ecological consciousness as a sustainable alternative to the violent logic of maldevelopment. Key Words: Indigenous Ecofeminism, Environmental destruction, maldevelopment, women’s empowerment, ecological damages.