Study compelling photographs that will testify not only to Richard Diran's skill as an artist, but to his persistence in the face of the tribes' suspicion and fear of foreigners. At times, his undertaking was outright dangerous due to constant guerrilla activity, but the results are breathtaking, showcasing colorful and elaborate costumes and jewelry, rare instruments, and, above all, unforgettable faces, rich in expressiveness and beauty. "...spectacular photographs..."--Fiber Arts.
When archaeologist Annja Creed discovers that the painting she purchased at an auction in Botswana is hiding a secret map to the Lost City of the San tribe, she must fight the dangers of the African bush and her enemies to see if the map is a work of fiction or a guide to an epic archaeological discovery.
A lost city. A missing tribe. And treasure beyond imagining… When archaeologist Annja Creed attends an auction in Botswana featuring personal effects of an infamous explorer, she purchases a small and seemingly unremarkable piece of art. It's not until the explorer's son makes a desperate attempt to steal it that Annja uncovers the secret of the painting…or rather, the secret map behind the painting. The map points to the Lost City of the San tribe, bushmen who had long ago disappeared off the face of the planet and whose city—so legend has it—was once littered with diamonds. But is the map an epic archaeological discovery or a fantastic work of fiction? Compelled to find out, Annja must face not only the perils of the African bush, but a treacherous son determined to take back his father's greatest legacy…no matter what the cost.
"I have been painted and painted others with the deep blood-red earth paint, which is the symbol of life. We call this paint ma etom, which is a derivative of the word for blood, ma e. Ma e, blood, is essential for life." Dr. Henrietta Mann, from the foreword A person's blood quantum is defined as the percentage of their ancestors who are documented as full-blood Native Americans. The U.S. federal government uses a blood quantum minimum as a measure of "Indian" identity to manage tribal enrollments and access to cultural and social services. Evidence suggests that if current demographic trends continue, within a few generations tribes will legally disappear. The forces of modern intermarriage and urbanization are resulting in fewer individuals who can legally meet blood quantum requirements. Through essays, personal stories, case studies, satire, and poetry, a lauded collection of international contributors will explore blood quantum as biology and as cultural metaphor. They will explain the history of the law and how it may result in the devastation of tribal culture and the perpetuation of tribal discrimination in the U.S. and beyond. Featuring diverse and talented Native voices representing different generations, backgrounds and literary styles, Blood Quantum Quandaries: Who Are We? seeks answers to the most critical issue facing Native Americans and all indigenous populations in the 21st century and hopes to redefine the meaning of cultural citizenship. "
The Vanishing reveals the plight and possible extinction of Christian communities across Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine after 2,000 years in their historical homeland. Some of the countries that first nurtured and characterized Christianity - along the North African Coast, on the Euphrates and across the Middle East and Arabia - are the ones in which it is likely to first go extinct. Christians are already vanishing. We are past the tipping point, now tilted toward the end of Christianity in its historical homeland. Christians have fled the lands where their prophets wandered, where Jesus Christ preached, where the great Doctors and hierarchs of the early church established the doctrinal norms that would last millennia. From Syria to Egypt, the cities of northern Iraq to the Gaza Strip, ancient communities, the birthplaces of prophets and saints, are losing any living connection to the religion that once was such a characteristic feature of their social and cultural lives. In The Vanishing, Janine di Giovanni has combined astonishing journalistic work to discover the last traces of small, hardy communities that have become wisely fearful of outsiders and where ancient rituals are quietly preserved amid 360 degree threats. Di Giovanni's riveting personal stories and her conception of faith and hope are intertwined throughout the chapters. The book is a unique act of pre-archeology: the last chance to visit the living religion before all that will be left are the stones of the past.
At a time when global change has eradicated thousands of unique cultures, The Last Whalers tells the inside story of the Lamalerans, an ancient tribe of 1,500 hunter-gatherers who live on a remote Indonesian volcanic island. They have survived for centuries by taking whales with bamboo harpoons, but now are being pushed toward collapse by the encroachment of the modern world. Journalist Doug Bock Clark, who lived with the Lamalerans across three years, weaves together their stories. Clark details how the fragile dreams of one of the world's dwindling indigenous peoples are colliding with the upheavals of our rapidly transforming world, and delivers a group of unforgettable families.
