Over the past decade, many of us have been alarmed to learn of the rapidly accel
erating extinction of our planet's diverse flora and fauna. But how many of us k
now that our human cultural diversity is also going extinct at a shocking rate?
Biologists estimate that 18% of mammals and 11% of birds are threatened, while b
otanists anticipate the loss of 8% of flora. Meanwhile, of the 7,000 languages i
n the world today, 50% will disappear in our lifetime. Languages are merely the
canaries in the coalmine: what of the poetry, songs, knowledge, and ways of seei
ng encoded in these disappearing voices?
In The Wayfinders, acclaimed anthropo
logist Wade Davis offers a gripping account of this urgent crisis. He leads us o
n a fascinating tour through a handful of indigenous cultures and worldviews whi
le reminding us of the encroaching dangers posed by unchecked globalization. An
enlightening, awe-inspiring, and cautionary look at vanishing cultures and langu
ages from one of the world's most celebrated and distinguished anthropologists.
