Name: Curating humanity's heritage
Uploaded: 2011-02-23T16:25:00Z
Duration: 9 min 56 s
Description: It's been said that when an elder dies, it's as if a library is burned. Anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Fellow, collects the deep cultural knowledge passed down as stories and lore.

It's been said that when an elder dies, it's as if a library is burned. Anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey, a National Geographic Fellow, collects the deep cultural knowledge passed down as stories and lore.

Curating humanity's heritage

Ancient navigators once sailed three million square miles across the Pacific without instruments, reading stars, waves, and birds with remarkable precision. As modern society drowns in data yet faces record loneliness, the living wisdom of elders is vanishing fast. When an elder dies, it is as if a library is burned. Our survival may depend on rescuing and cherishing these vital traditions and stories before they disappear.