SAR hosts award-winning anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis for a conversation-style salon. For nearly four decades, Davis has traveled the world to write, film, and photograph extensively, all in an effort to celebrate and honor the diversity of the world’s indigenous cultures and ecological environments. The conversation, led by SAR president, Michael F. Brown, is a special opportunity for SAR members to explore the history and wisdom of indigenous cultures with one of the world’s leading experts.
Davis holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. He is the author of fifteen books including: Passage of Darkness (1988), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1986), Voice for the Borneo Rain Forest (1990), Shadows in the Sun (1993), One River (1996), which was nominated for the 1997 Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction, The Lost Amazon (2004), Grand Canyon (2008) and The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World (2009).
His subjects range from Haitian vodoun and Amazonian myth and religion to the global biodiversity crisis, the traditional use of psychotropic drugs, and the ethnobotany of South American Indians. Davis has written for National Geographic, Newsweek, Outside, Natural History, Scientific American, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and numerous other international publications. His photographs appear in numerous books, magazines and journals.
Davis’s work in film is also prolific. He was the series creator, host, and co-writer of Light at the Edge of the World, a four-hour ethnographic documentary series, shot in Rapa Nui, Tahiti, the Marquesas, Nunuvut, Greenland, Nepal and Peru. The series aired in 165 countries on the National Geographic Channel and in the USA on the Smithsonian Network. He is a principal character in Grand Canyon Adventure, a 3D IMAX film, released by MacGillivray Freeman in 2008.
Through his work, Davis has brought the stories and histories of world-wide indigenous cultures to a broad public audience.
As Davis stated in a 2015 interview:
Cultures are not destined to fade away, as if by natural law. In every case, they are being driven out of existence by identifiable forces … [but] if human beings are the agents of destruction, we can also be the facilitators of cultural survival.
Participation in the salon is limited to 50 people and is open to SAR members. Advanced registration is required with priority given to Chaco level members and above. For more information or to RSVP for the salon call 505-954-7231 or email archuleta@sarsf.org.
If you would like to become an SAR member and receive free admission to lectures and other benefits, click here.
This salon is presented in conjunction with the Wade Davis lecture at the Lensic Performing Arts Center: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters. Learn more about the Lensic event here.
SAR hosts anthropologist and award-winning 
author, David Treuer, for a discussion on his newest book, The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee. Treuer was SAR’s 2015 Katrin H. Lamon Resident Scholar and wrote much of the well-received publication during his time in residence.
An exploration of Native America from 1890 to the present, the book uses extensive interviews and storytelling to redefine the narrative concerning indigenous history and contemporary life. Treuer is Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. He now teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California.
This event is free for SAR members and $10 for not-yet-members. Advanced registration is encouraged. Register at the link above or here.
You can order an advanced copy today from Garcia Street Books or at the event itself.
To learn more about the publication see these recent reviews and interviews:
David Treuer on NPR’s Weekend Edition
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee New York Times review by SAR board member, Ned Blackhawk
Creative Thought Forum lectures are free for SAR members and $10 for not-yet-members.
Register in advance here.
Elizabeth Hoover. Photo by Adam Sings In The Timber
Elizabeth Hoover explores traditional food practices in Native American communities and the impact of environmental studies on modern food production. Hoover’s community-engaged research at Brown University examines issues of environmental justice, indigenous farming, and subsistence revival movements.
If you would like to become an SAR member and receive free admission to this lecture and other benefits, click here.
SAR SALON: Friday, March 22, 2019 Salons are offered on the morning following each Creative Thought Forum lecture. The salon is an opportunity for a conversation-style gathering with the speaker for a deeper exploration of the lecture topics. Participation in the salons is limited to 25 people and is a free member benefit; advanced registration is required with priority given to Chaco level members and above. For more information or to register for the salon call 505-954-7231.
Learn more about SAR’s Creative Thought Forum here.
This Lecture Sponsored By:
Walter Burke Catering
KUNM 89.9 FM
Shiprock Santa Fe
The Friday following the lecture, SAR hosts an informal salon discussion with Elizabeth Hoover. The salon is an opportunity for a conversation-style gathering with the speaker and provides a deeper exploration of the lecture topics. Participants will be sent a brief selection of readings prior to the event so that they can familiarize themselves with the speaker’s work.
Participation in the salons is limited to 25 people and is a free member benefit; advanced registration is required with priority given to Chaco level members and above. For more information or to RSVP for the salon call 505-954-7231 or email archuleta@sarsf.org.
If you would like to become an SAR member and receive free admission to lectures and other benefits, click here.
Learn more about SAR’s Creative Thought Forum here.
Creating New Futures from the Past: Nanibaa Beck and Jared Tso
Metalsmith Nanibaa Beck (SAR’s 2018 Ronald and Susan Dubin Native Artist Fellow) and potter Jared Tso explore tradition, innovation, and the areas between with Professor David Martinez. Learn more about the speakers…
About the 2019 IARC Speaker Series Rocking the Boat: Innovation as Tradition
Native artists are frequently categorized along a binary of traditional or non-traditional, sometimes rigidly so, defined not only by outside forces but also the communities and backgrounds from which they come. For cultures and communities to move forward, however, the maintenance of tradition hinges not only on the capacity to preserve the old, but also the ability to innovate and develop. From the introduction of silver by Navajo metalsmiths, and the development of Plains beadwork out of quillwork, to the creation of the first paintings by Pueblo women artists, traditions constantly evolve out of the unbreakable spirit of innovation, pulling the past into the present and driving the present into the future.This year’s speaker series explores the ways that artists create new traditions and ways of thinking vis-à-vis their roles as creatives. Throughout the series of intimate conversations, speakers will address the inseparable relationship between tradition and innovation.
All discussions will be held at the School for Advanced Research, 660 Garcia Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505 from 6:00-7:30pm. These events are free and open to the public. Advanced registration is encouraged. Register here or at the link above.
Learn more about the full series here.
Power Couple: Cannupa Hanska Luger and Ginger Awapuhi Dunnill
Multimedia artists Cannupa Hanska Luger and Ginger Awapuhi Dunnill are a remarkable pair. Join them as they talk about the power of two and what it means to be parents running a website for decolonized learning. Senior editor of New Mexico Magazine Alicia Inez Guzmán moderates. Learn more about the speakers…
About the 2019 IARC Speaker Series Rocking the Boat: Innovation as Tradition
Native artists are frequently categorized along a binary of traditional or non-traditional, sometimes rigidly so, defined not only by outside forces but also the communities and backgrounds from which they come. For cultures and communities to move forward, however, the maintenance of tradition hinges not only on the capacity to preserve the old, but also the ability to innovate and develop. From the introduction of silver by Navajo metalsmiths, and the development of Plains beadwork out of quillwork, to the creation of the first paintings by Pueblo women artists, traditions constantly evolve out of the unbreakable spirit of innovation, pulling the past into the present and driving the present into the future.This year’s speaker series explores the ways that artists create new traditions and ways of thinking vis-à-vis their roles as creatives. Throughout the series of intimate conversations, speakers will address the inseparable relationship between tradition and innovation.
All discussions will be held at the School for Advanced Research, 660 Garcia Street, Santa Fe, NM 87505 from 6:00-7:30pm. These events are free and open to the public. Advanced registration is encouraged. Register here or at the link above.
Learn more about the full series here.