Within the Mountain

“Within the Mountain” documents the endurance of the Ladin pastoral-alpine lifestyle in the face of climate change and urbanization, as an example of communal resilience, offering witness to the importance of rural cultural values and ancient tradition. Ladin people are an ethnic minority who inhabit five valleys in the Dolomite Alps, collectively known as Ladinia: Badia, Gherdëina, Fassa, Fodom, and Ampezzo. They are deeply rooted in rural Alpine culture and are distinguished by their trilingualism, their native Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language, German and Italian. The most important part of their Alpine culture is the care and protection of their home, the grand, yet fragile mountain environment that surrounds them. During the winter, the mountains are overrun by outsiders for the ski season and the Ladin people find themselves exclusively catering to the invasion. However, the summer months are when the Ladin community reclaims their mountain and undertakes the two vital practices that have created one of the most diverse and rich environments in Europe: jí a munt (cattle transhumance), the most important Ladin tradition, and the laborious process of making hay for the winter months. These cultural practices, which stem from ancestral knowledge passed down generations, are intrinsic to the thriving nature of the Dolomites. Drawing upon centennial traditions imbued with a spirit of interdependency and adaptability, Ladin people are the force behind some of the most marvelous mountain ranges anywhere and they remain, to this day, an essential presence for the life of the mountain and its biodiversity.