Indigenous Spiritualities in Global Perspective
In recent years, the study of indigenous cultures has gained significance beyond the traditional fields of ethnography and anthropology. Thanks to contributions from cognitive sciences such as psychology and neuroscience, religious beliefs have been identified as deeply embedded in the neurophysiological structure of human beings. This, in turn, has helped validate renewed hypotheses related to animism, now understood not as a "primitive" stage but as an intrinsic aspect of how many human groups perceive and relate to the living entities of the planet.
At the same time, growing ecological awareness highlights the need for a shift in the contemporary world's relationship with nature and with human-made artifacts. This perspective reveals a "relational ontology"—not a new concept, but one deeply embedded in indigenous cultures and present in the historical traditions of the Western world.
Ultimately, this way of connecting with all living things, which characterizes many indigenous cultures, extends beyond a purely pragmatic relationship. It is rooted in profound beliefs and ancestral knowledge, forming an integral part of the spirituality and religious practices of these communities.