Lion's Eye Favorite: Cultural Explorers Give Rare View of Endangered Societies
June 24, 2008
Explorer Wade Davis, one of three presenters in the Robbins Memorial Symposium, spoke at Assembly
PEA students were treated to the closest thing to a real-life Indiana Jones when Wade Davis—National Geographic's explorer-in-residence and one of its "Explorers of the Millennium"—took to the stage in the Academy Building.
Wade Davis speaking at student assembly"Everyone was awestruck by his experiences," said Niall '08. "I frequently heard, 'I want that job!' from those around me. In my opinion, Mr. Davis has lived a life straight out of a fantasy novel. I was astonished by the fearless manner in which he lives."
"Davis expressed preservation's importance to humanity with such beautiful words and exciting anecdotes that both my understanding and interest in ethnic anthropology have increased tenfold," says Lorca '08. "His message—that spiritual and social aspects of endangered cultures have so much to offer our knowledge about
the environment, religion and the human psyche—made the greatest impression on me."
Davis came to campus as part of the annual Robbins Memorial Symposium. Joining him were Dr. Greg Anderson '85, linguist and Director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages; and Abe Waldstein, Community Development Specialist and former instructor of anthropology at Exeter.
The Symposium began on a Sunday with the film, The Linguists, continued with a student Assembly, and wrapped up with a panel discussion attended by all three speakers.
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Greg Anderson researching endangered Indian
languagesThe Linguists featured Anderson's research work in India, Bolivia, and Siberia and the global crisis of language extinction. Describing the movie, Jamie '10 said, "Greg Anderson and his movie were particularly captivating and served as an eye-opener about the very real problem of cultural extinction. The rate at which cultures and languages are dying out now is the highest throughout the entire history of man, and Anderson's efforts to not only make us aware of this crisis but also help solve it are truly inspiring."
Giacomo '11 came away from The Linguists with a new appreciation for language and cultures. "It depicted something quite new to me: language extinction. I learned that there are over 7,000 languages worldwide, and that language extinction is occurring at a rate of about one language every two weeks. It made me think about learning new languages, and the cultures they embody."
Davis visited several classes, including Visions of Paradise: Utopias and Dystopias, a senior English elective. "The students were excited about having him in class and being able to ask questions in the intimate setting of the Harkness table," explains Eimer Page, English instructor. "Our focus is on imagined societies, but it was very interesting to hear about the enormous variety of real social groups he has encountered. His discussion of language and the loss of knowledge that comes with a loss of communication tied very well into our discussions of 'Newspeak' in Orwell's 1984." (Newspeak is the fictional language of 1984's autocratic regime designed to prevent "thoughtcrime.")
The parallels between Orwell's fictional language and the realities of disappearing languages hit home to the students. Marc '08 says: "Orwell took the one spoken language, and simplified and diminished it as a way to control his futuristic society. As we look at the rapid rate of language extinction today, we can't help but see how this diminishes humanity's scope of thought—destroying with it many diverse ways of thinking about how we relate to each other, what freedom is and what our relationship is with nature."
Wade Davis"Mr. Davis's experiences made him an invaluable asset to our discussion of Utopian and Dystopian societies," says Niall. "He was able to add an informed perspective that was not limited to the views of Western culture."
Religion instructor Jamie Hamilton said that students in her God and Politics class enjoyed talking with Davis about the need to appreciate the different religions in the world and to protect, not annihilate, them through political power. She noted that the discussion touched on how "the cultures at the far edge of the light bring us closer to our own spiritual journeys—our own light."
Summing up her impression of the Symposium, Winnie '08 said, "It was great that we were able to get leaders in their field to come and sustain a dialog for the entire community. They helped me step out of my small perspective, and gave me a taste of the richness and urgent importance of the cultures and languages of the world." Jamie '10 added, "Through the Symposium, the peoples that make up each of those cultures really came to life. Now, more than ever, I realize the need to help these cultures and preserve their way of life, for everyone's benefit."
Interested in learning more?
Explore the Anthropology, History, English and Religion departments at Exeter…
Learn more about Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages…
View Wade Davis speaking at the annual TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design). …
Read a National Geographic interview with Wade Davis on vanishing cultures and view a gallery of his photos…
Lion's note: this article first appeared on May 16, 2008.
