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Of survival and adaptation

Celebrated anthropologist-cum-writer Wade Davis explores how different cultures have withstood pressures of the modern world in a four-part weekly programme on National Geographic Channel premiering this coming Friday.

The series tracks four indigenous cultures, each uniquely dedicated to the preservation of their customs in the face of modernisation: Inuit, Nepali Buddhist, pan-Andean and Polynesian.

Speaking about his upcoming programme, Davis says: "My new programme `Light at the Edge of the World' is a celebration of the wonder of humanity's greatest legacy, an ethno-sphere of brilliance and genius that gives form to all thoughts and dreams, ideas and myths, institutions and inspirations, brought about by human imagination."

Based on Davis' book

"Light at the Edge of the World" is based on the book by Davis, who is also National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. It follows him from the Himalayan foothills to the desolate Tundra region as he explores how four indigenous cultures are adapting to preserve their unique heritage.

"Hunters of The Northern Ice", to be aired on April 27, focuses on the Inuit of Canada and Greenland who have survived for thousands of years in the harshest climate on earth. Davis will find out whether global warming threatens to bring an end to the Inuit way of life. He will try to learn how the Inuit are coping with their changing way of life.

A rich illustration of beautiful rituals dating as far back as the ancient Incas and Spanish Conquistadors can be seen in "Sacred Geography" that will be shown on May 4. Davis accompanies villagers from Chinchero in Peru as they trek to the annual Qoyllur Rit'i festival that attracts thousands of people every year across the Andes Mountains.

In "Science of The Mind", to be aired on May 11, Davis goes on a spiritual trek to the Himalayas and looks at Buddhism as a science of the mind.

Along the way, he meets a revered Buddhist monk and dedicated Buddhist followers who enlighten him about their devotion to the teachings.

"Wayfinders" airing on May 18 focuses on the navigators of the sea, Wayfinders, who used wave pattern "fingerprints" and the stars to travel to thousands of islands. However, this culture, that once flourished over 25 million square kilometres of ocean, has seen much of its history and tradition die out. -- Madhur Tankha

-- Madhur Tankha

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