NATURAL PEOPLES AND ECOSPIRITUALITY
by Giancarlo Barbadoro & Rosalba Nattero
with contributions from the Apache leader Ola Cassadore

Triskel Edition

A book written with the encouragement of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

“I welcome this excellent book that makes the case for the protection of the sacred lands of indigenous peoples still violated and invaded in this new millennium.”

Julian Burger, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

The case of Mt. Graham, the Apache sacred mountain which is under threat, brings us face to face with the culture and religion of Natural Peoples

The violation of Mount Graham, the Apache sacred mountain, is not only a clear example of the violation of the religious rights of a Population, but also represents an emblematic case that gives us the chance to take a closer look at the topic of Indigenous Peoples.

Today Natural Peoples are well alive and lively, present in history, each one with his precise tradition that, by its univocal sense of universality, means much in a world tormented by religion wars. Actually we can see how from the spirituality of Natural Peoples it is possible to achieve the intuition of the existence of a universal spirituality never conceived before.

Natural Peoples’ spirituality, in its reference to nature, can be an example of how it is possible to live in contact with nature itself, of the need to respect it, of the possibility of a real brotherhood among Peoples and a spiritual unity towards a natural religion common to all the Peoples of the world. A lesson in peace and progress that humanity cannot underestimate.

“The book is inspired by a case of religious and spiritual violation against the Indigenous Peoples. The violation of Mount Graham, the Apache sacred mountain, is not only a clear example of the violation of the religious rights of a Population, but also represents an emblematic case that gives us the chance to take a closer look at the topic of Indigenous Peoples. Our book ”Natural Peoples and Ecospirituality” actually deals with the topic of the Indigenous Peoples’ identity and philosophy of life. We were pleased to have the collaboration of Ola Cassadore, the great Apache spiritual leader recently passed away. Her life, dedicated to defending the Apache sacred mountain, is an emblematic symbol for all Natural Peoples. Ola Cassadore dedicated all her life for the preservation of Mount Graham, which the Apache consider to be their most important sacred place and which is even now under threat by the installation of an astronomical observatory. When one speaks about Natives, it is usual to mention the cultural features of their traditions and the various forms of oppression that they have been subjected to, while the historical and moral identity that they possess is rarely focused upon. In this book we wanted to take a closer look at this topic in order to analyse and focus upon the identity of the concept of “native” and the meaning that this holds. We believe that all Indigenous Peoples have something in common which makes them stand out and which places them in a precise reality. In our book we wanted to focus upon the unity that links the various Indigenous Peoples. We have done this from a spiritual and social point of view.”

The Authors

The proceeds will be donated to the Apache Survival Coalition in defence of Mount Graham