Sacred Mountains and Values for Transformation

CERUTI, MARÍA CONSTANZA

Oslo

Congreso; Transformations in a Changing Climate; 2013

University of Oslo

Scientific research has contributed to raise awareness about the fact that mountain landscapes are particularly vulnerable to climate and global change. However, little attention has been paid to the sacred dimension of mountains and the creative ways in which native peoples have modified their systems of beliefs and rituals to cope with the unexpected changes in their environment. Summarizing 17 years of research in the fields of high-altitude archaeology and the anthropology of sacred mountains, this presentation seeks to identify the underlying spiritual values shared by communities in different parts of the world, pondering the diversity of ways in which mountain cultures in the Americas, Oceania, Europe, Africa and Asia have interacted with landscapes that are perceived as sacred. We believe that mountain worldviews, past and present, can inspire us to face the challenges and opportunities of ethical and sustainable transformation in the XXI century. In the paper submitted to this conference I have focused on the connections between sacred mountains and transformations. Mountain deities include Shiva, the Hindu god of transformation, who dwells on the peaks of the sacred Himalayas. Of course we should recall the Greek deities on Mount Olympus and the Roman gods in the volcanoes of southern Italy. Volcanic goddesses and cultural heroes are said to dwell in the mountains of Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island; whereas mountains in the American southwest are home to the Kachina spirits. When it comes to folk beliefs, we have the Transformation Stories of the First Nations in Canada and the transformational lore of the Navajo Dine. Moralizing connotations are associated to the Scandinavian mythology on mountain trolls, which are similar to the stories of the gentiles giants in the mountains of the Basque country. The Rocky Mountains have traditionally been used for vision quests among the Native Americans. The sacred monolith of Uluru is still a place of initiation for the Anangu aborigines in Australia. The volcanoes of Patagonia are sacred to the Mapuche people, and their female shamans draw their power from them. I have also referred to the impact of climate change on modern mountain pilgrimage in the Andes, as documented in the case in the festival of the Lord of the Star of Snow in Peru.