Community Practice: The Chorotega Indigenous System of Earth-Responsive Material Transformation

United Nations Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) Community Knowledge Practice Documentation

Author: Stephanie Zabriskie
ORCID: 0009-0000-9273-1529
Affiliation: Humanculture (Indigenous-led nonprofit organization)
Capacity: Founder and Executive Director

Community Knowledge Contributor
Valentín López, Chorotega Master Practitioner
Dervin López, Chorotega Practitioner

Indigenous Community / Region
Chorotega Indigenous community, Masaya, Nicaragua
Indigenous knowledge systems; climate change; biodiversity and ecosystems; sustainable livelihoods

Abstract

The Chorotega Indigenous system of earth-responsive material transformation is a community-governed knowledge system through which environmental signals are interpreted and enacted in the identification, sourcing, preparation, and transformation of earth materials into vessels and household infrastructure. Practitioners interpret soils, minerals, seasonal moisture, wind patterns, and atmospheric conditions as informational signals that guide decisions across the full production sequence. Through landscape-based material knowledge, micro-sampling practices, and master-led classification, earth materials are responsibly gathered and prepared before entering the transformation process. The system integrates ecological observation, apprenticeship-based learning, and collective governance structures that sustain knowledge transmission and stewardship responsibilities across generations. Documenting the Chorotega system demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge systems function as living governance infrastructures that guide resource stewardship, support sustainable livelihoods, and maintain continuity between land, culture, and community under conditions of climate variability.

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Community Practice: The Chorotega Indigenous System of Earth-Responsive Material Transformation