Added: 5 years ago
From: TEDtalksDirector
Views: 105,157
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (197)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • the continuation of this story is that many cultures are undergoing self-styled regenerative processes. Sure, it'll never be the same as it was before they 'lost' / were forced to give up what the West devalued. Nevertheless, culture is always grappling with the primordial question of continuity and change. innumerable native cultures have welcomed some changes wholeheartedly. the problem is the violence, brutality, and greed of Westernization

  • ayus ka bai! nice au.. so inspirational.. 

  • Loved the speech.

  • A qn putas no le gusta el video? Es muy bueno!

  • ~~I love this guy am just 14 and am already studying Anthropology all by myself because that's what i want to do so i really love this man and how good he explain things wow he makes me want to chase my dream more !!!!~~~

  • Amazing, watched it in global studies 9a today and just wowed at how people live, the western world has certainly changed. Think about the kids that live in solitude for years on end. Just, amazing.

  • Aaahh, Dr. Wade Davis and Dr. Bill Bass are the reason why I'm studying anthropology.

  • Just to think many of the comments below have been written by people who believe that they are part of the side of the fittest?

  • can you imagine smoking weed with this guy? he won't stop talking!

  • @JamaJuice46  lol

  • The advertising for a nasty car is rather ironic after such a speech...

  • Survival of the fittest, rght? so if these cultures cannot adapt why are we trying to preserve them when they are being selected naturally OUT of human cultures?

  • @marcdaddy33 this idea of the "survival of the fittest" is a very good example of an eastern way of thinking.

    I think that the point of Wade's speech is precisely to show that there are other ways of understanding the world.

    The idea of domination,of opposition between species,between the world and human beings is deeply incarnated in OUR way of thinking,even if there is an infinity of other understandings.The problem with ours, is that the will of reduction of the difference is in its genes.

  • @marcdaddy33 @robarton

    or the problem is that we divide by race in the first place. there is no O U R

  • @marcdaddy33

    may sound like a basic point to some but Darwin's theory (survival of the fittest) isn't about what's right, it's about what is. nature has nothing of consequence to say about morality

  • @fireintheequation

    agreed... but too many atheists try to make an "ought" from what "is" when there is no natural basis for it.

  • @marcdaddy33 exactly the reason why every culture matters, no matter how obscure

  • @marcdaddy33 and it's not just the atheists either - a lot of religious folk make the same mistake, confusing what's true (to them) with what ought to be.

    I find this distinction helpful - science concerns facts while religion deals with values. Best not to merge the two.

  • @marcdaddy33 survival of the wealthiest(smartest in a certain sense if you like),nearsighted as hell .yes the lovers money and technology,depleters of resources,... the ones thare are destroying the biosphere.. slowly taking themselves and others in their fatal stream.

  • unless there was audio issues, it sounds like wade was very nervous in his speech intonation

  • @followyourbliss101 Funny, I hear immense feeling and sensitivity not nervousness in his voice, as if something very precious and dear to him is being threatened by the unthinkable possibility of total annihilation.

  • 21:09 right on ive said that since i was 8

  • get your propaganda off the internet

  • This is a brilliant lecture.

  • Whoever films/ posts these, let us please see more of what the speaker wanted to show us in their slides. Thank you.

  • Thank you Wade Davis. Earlier this month I was began wondering how people were able to find MAOI to orally use hallucinogenic plants. I am super glad I found this video.

  • Its a great idea but not practical.

  • @111Socrates777 - No great idea in history was ever 'practical'.

  • @Jefferdaughter how about the invention of the wheel?

  • Wade Davis did a documentary called "Light at the Edge of the World" once - I think it was a Natl Geographic show...he seemed to be a buddhist, if memory serves.

  • If you dig this video, you might want to check out the video "Schizophrenic Or Shamanic" -- very cool.

  • I watched this in Anthropology class today. Loved it.

  • Oh my god. Shitknife. That is more awesome than I will ever be.

  • absolutly beautiful. it brought a tear to my eye. he synthesized so much information into one speach, what a brilliant man. 

  • Wonderful, amazing talk. Brilliant man!

  • That which stands to oppose the Empire is co-opted and becomes a tentacle of the Empire. Such is the nature of capitalism.

  • Did anyone else have to watch this for a college assignment?? :P

  • @joellyism everyone should have! i was just thinking this kind of thing should be anthropology 101

  • 12:18

  • baw baw baw i hate this guy why does he sound like he's crying

  • @eshed888 Most unintellectual of you.

  • Wade Davis is Brilliant! One of the 'Masters'

  • I am blown away. Amazingly put. This is a view I thought dead to much of Western Culture.

  • This is TED at its absolute best.

  • This was great! Thank you so much.

    The World is truly beautiful

  • Had to come back and watch it again!! I viewed it about 2 weeks ago, and it has had me thinking!! Great lecture!

  • Really great stuff. Finally dawning, clearer than ever, to the horizon the way to make links

  • Brilliant and inspirational talk. This man truly knows what he is talking about. He has travelled and seen the world and understood it. This is rare and profound. Listen and learn. Human possibilities are myriad. Viva la diversidad!!

  • I loved how he compared how one boy sees the mountain as a guide while one boy sees the mountain as resources.

    I also loved how the one tribe differentiates their plants by hearing the plants sing. It's so beautiful.

  • sorry but this guy is not about to convince me that cultural diversity is as important as biological diversity

  • Comment removed

  • @bordergurl19 he specifically said that near the beginning.

  • TED is consistantly intersesting

  • human beings do not care about their grandchildren, they DO NOT care! because if they did they would take care of them by taking care of the earth... but instead left them with a desolate wasteland. (anno 2065)

  • The man behind the PhD have a mission to indoctrinate young human to believe that money or gold is means of power and well being...in reality these are invaders, and the Kogi tribe the reason they call them the "younger brother" explains clearly that one day they will be wipe out by their own hand...and is happening indeed..! Aliens are addicted to gold more than anything else, hence they seek power to run the business smoothly...and least they care about the Earth..

  • @seyoumeye what in gods name were you trying to say in that comment?  was that english?

  • @slingshot2427

    ...The sad history of Y_OUR planet...told by its indigenous people...

    (among us there exist a highly intellignet but parasitic aliens...all are engaged in stockpiling "gold" (mining, bank, labour..etc..), therefore, are looting illegally the planet resources'..the alien stand behind religious groups,eduction syst, politicians and corporate's shareholders...

  • @seyoumeye so you recommend we get rid of education systems? grand advice, the america is doing its best at that right now, look at how thats turning out.  as far as religious groups, there seems to be in america an inverse correlation between religious groups and education rates, so go ahead and pick one or another.

  • @slingshot2427 Well, the money-based-education system not only is corrupted but utterly against the law of NATURE (our doctorates and engineers have no clue what is sustainable environmental issue...thus they are blindly continously looting the planet for sake of useless career and wealth accumulation... and this what Wade Davis is trying to tell you..but most of you are "lost in translation"...WAKE UP dude! STOP SERVING THE INVADER ALIENS..

  • @seyoumeye hahaha so you recommend we not use money to fund our education system? you just said 'wake up' and 'invader aliens' in the same sentence, so i can guarentee youre a fucking idiot

  • O was so very sad when I heard that the 'do gooder Christians had infiltrated the Gentle Tassaday. My Cherokee cousins have begun written histories as their elders had only passed on the stories of their ancestors through song and dance.

    SusanDianeMurphree/Marianna,Ar­kansas/USA/March22,2010

  • would be curioua to know, what you would be interested in. and why the no care. . . hey, just watched it three times today, is it that he speaks of a world that is losing its memoryes when it loses languages like alzheimers patients lose their last memoryes, we are losing the finest and most beautiful languages on earth . . preferring the mindless acceptance of the meaning of life untill we have done such a job on ourselves they will inherit the earth from us again

  • Ive watched/heard this now 4 times. Recorded it. Remixed it with music in the background. and loved every minute of it "The shit knife!" I love these magical windows.

    Wade, if you wold like I am interested in collaborating with you on creating some story collages with music to share with people. I would like to have permission to share your words and wisdoms in songs as samples for youth to hear with their musical party experiences etc.

    What think ye?

  • More insights from Wade Davis at journey-to-zero (dot) posterous (dot) com

  • i seen this live

  • It's so sad what how brutal cultures can be to one another.

  • i love his use of language!..probably the most intelligent presentation i have seen on youtube.

    saving the Rain Forest & empowering indigenous cultures has never been easier, we simply need to vote with our dollars because our governments are busy subsidizing industries that massacre these peoples and the Amazon for the triple bottom line!

    WECANSAVETHEAMAZON[.]com

  • Very interesting lecture. The world is huge and there are so many cultures it's overwhelming. I love this kind of study.

  • If you don't think that understanding this message is vital, then you are in the way! Western culture is arrogantly stripping the vast tapestry of humanity from, well, future humanity, and it's happening on our watch!

  • "If western culture is spreading it's 'cause we kick arse. "

    -You act like that's a good thing?!

    -Your Ego is sickening..

  • Do nowadays 'Americans' even HAVE a culture?

    Do Europeans still have a culture?

    The west SUCKS BALLS!

  • @tinosnit Ask yourself what is the true meaning of human experience. I think any analysis would have "human well-being" as an answer. Then ask yourself what is the best way to achieve this. Xbox360 and consumerism? Is happiness derived from cultural practices of indigenous peoples cognitively and neurally distinct from Xbox happiness? or is it the same? Are there no better ways of producing the same happiness? And what is "progress" on a dying planet in an expanding universe?

  • This guy has more intellect in one of his inhales than most of these comments especially reubenschief250

     homophobic moron!

  • @olderbluesfan I agreed with your statement. He look brilliant

  • wonderful talk, a great lesson in the how little 'assimilation' or 'cultural melting pot' can really define what is happening to the diversity of our species.

  • do some reading. the legend of the nagas snake is a global legend that indigenous humans have accepted as part of their belief systems for thousands of years. btw to assume makes an ASS out of U and ME

  • I agree, read the book "Ishmael," by Daniel Quinn.

  • Read Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn. LIFE CHANGING!!!

  • amazing

  • Comment removed

  • Im gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you smoke marijuana

  • Comment removed

  • ok, i have a few questions.

    First, in reading about the Huaorani I find nothing about the story that it was the photographs that led to the missionaries being killed. Is this true or apocryphal?

    It makes me wonder about a few of his other stories, like the "18 years in the dark" ritual of the Koguis, and especially, the shit knife.

    so, is it true? or is it bullshit?

  • Bravo! Love your video!

  • politicians will NEVER accomplish ANYTHING!!! what a hero this guy is!

  • Brilliant Guy..... Is there any more????

    Thank you for sharing this wisdom

    Namaste

  • Incredible information

    Everione must see this info. All cultures that were ever around are a part of humanity their sacred and must be saved ....

  • I believe theres two organizatons devoted to that namely:

    Survival International & Cultural Survival

    One is head quarter in Europe and the other in the USA.

  • u cant chew spaghetti properly. U have to swallow them whole. Hard job to digest food like that

  • ...Can a shit knife cut anything? I'm just curious.

  • not a shit diamond. those are harder I believe.

  • EXCELLENT!!!

  • "Each language is a old-growth forest of the mind" - Sentence of the month!

    If this was taught in school, classroom discussions about topics like democracy, globalisation and the human being itself would be very different.

  • that inuit he was talking about with the shit knife is the meaning of billy badass.

  • Agreed, that was outrageous!!

  • I loved this video. One of the most interesting ideas I've heard in such a long time.

  • i heard some quotes i intend on telling my friends and letting them figure it out. we're all in middle school, so i doubt they would be interested in this, but I wanna make them think and have some understanding, before they miss anything [else] like this. :)

  • I never ever want to be in a position where I have to make a shit knife. That is the weirdest part of this presentation. BIZARRE.

  • fuck you i was named wade first

  • this guy speaks wonderfully

  • he sounds very nervous...

  • he handles it well then

  • I'm not like Wade in that I'm not mystical.

    Shamans, jerry garcia, and LSD all intrigued me and so I have visited them all one by one or in various combinations.

    I am not magical but mystery and magic are part of the story of the indigenous people I have met. And it is those experiences that inspire me.

  • I think you're magic

  • SHIT!!! I'm gonna make my own sit Knife. DAMN! thats SKILLS SON!

  • "Shit knife in belt"

  • Excellent and eloquent talk that made me go out looking for his book _Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures_.

  • If you liked this you might also like a book called The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram.

  • Thank you for posting this amazing talk! This is a powerful statement and one that deserves the widest audience. I only hope that the average "man on the street" can appreciate the profound beauty and poetry of indigenous culture and people of the world. I really get the feeling that Wade gets it. Nia:wen kowa/thank you!

  • If getting rid of another "culture" means less crazy superstition and related suffering in this world, there's really nothing to regret. I'm sure this sentimental white moron would quickly change his mind about the inherent value of diversity if he was poked with a spear for the possession of enchanted two-dimensional photos or other such crime.

  • It is sad that that comment is what you have taken from this lecture. How do you suppose to "get rid" of this culture? What is the culture that you belong to, is it really without fault enough that it deserves to live where another dies? Your perception of this other culture as "crazy superstition" may be exactly how this other culture view you and your belief system. The lecture was not about finding differences but understanding and respecting them, which you seemed to have missed.

  • Whether something is "superstition" or not is not just a matter of "perception" or "culture", a point apparently missed by both you and the speaker. It is simply a matter of fact and reality: firm statements can be demonstrated to hold - experimentally - or they cannot. People who ignore and misrepresent reality do not deserve attention, no matter what culture they belong to, where they live and what language they speak. Or would you like to "preserve" a "culture" of rapists or murderers too?

  • Again, this is your perception of these other cultures. Your reality is different to mine, mine different to theirs and theirs different to yours. Facts are much the same. I repeat, the lecture was about realising these differences,acknowldging them and attempting to understand them from the others point of standing. I personally know of no culture that is without fault in the eyes of another and least of all would like a culture preserved, I would rather they lived. That's all I have for you.

  • I'm sorry to break news to you: There is only one reality. Either you're able to understand, predict and control it or not.

    I have nothing against cultural diversity such as languages, art, music, different dress codes, different tastes and the like. I only have something against outright stupidity some people demonstrate by denying facts and believing in the supernatural. If their culture is built around such stupidity, then the world will be better off without it.

  • As beeing german, you should know your countries history. Didn't nazis think, that jews, gippsies, and slavs were inferior to Germans?

    Now, you state, thet we are superior to them. Don't you think, that sounds a little nazism?

  • I'm not German, just living in Germany. However, it doesn't really matter much, given that my only claim is the superiority is of rationality over superstition; regardless of any other cultural or racial trait. I'm not saying either that the superstitious people should be persecuted - unless it becomes dangerous to other people. I'm just saying that we should not admire superstition nor should we try to help preserve someone's inaccurate beliefs.

  • you might think rational, but you're not all knowing. you act upon what you know, which is practically totally invoked by your social surroundings and never complete. this is why you will never be able to perceive the ONE reality as it actually as it is, because you interpretate it socially. this is common social science acquiered by rational thinking. wade davis only tries to tell you that other people interpret the world different due to their culture and their surroundings. PERIOD!

  • Tell that to a physicist.

  • Then what is your take of psychics as of having "more in tuned" capabilities... Is that supersition or is that rationality ? ? ? You just seem to be so concrete in your answers...

  • And what's "your reality" then ? ? ?

  • The same shared by everyone else? There's only one, you see. Even if some folks don't notice.

  • Well you wrote: "...I have nothing against cultural diversity such as languages, art, music, different dress codes, different tastes and the like. I only have something against outright stupidity some people demonstrate by denying facts and believing in the supernatural. If their culture is built around such stupidity, then the world will be better off without it." Do you have an example; of your dis-agreement with?

  • Yes, for example, I disagree with people spearing other people because it's traditional (I suspect that when a spear is put through someone, he/she would agree with me). I also disagree with wasting time on ineffective voodoo magic when you could be working on medicine which really works. I disagree with priests whose occupation is spreading mumbo-jumbo, and view themselves as superior to people who work for their living. I hope you get the general idea?

  • I bet you do. How can you say it's outright stupidity if it's embraced in their cultural heritage if it's derived from something of importance; I'd say 90%+ of the time??? And voodoo has had proven methods of effectiveness. Not condoning every aspect(personally) but you seem to be putting SAFE things in your own categories. Which doesn't do much but form your own image of YOUR OWN perfect world in way; or that's @ least the way I & (I'm sure others) are perceiving some of your statements.

  • It is not about "my world" vs. "your world" vs. "someone else's world". It's not about the personal importance of anyone's beliefs and private opinions. It's about reality.

    There is only one reality, which we all may perceive more or less accurately. The inaccuracies *can* be checked for and corrected when they are found. Sticking to an inaccurate worldview despite facts is a harmful delusion, quite regardless of your cultural heritage.

  • By the very nature in which our minds work, it is impossible to be objective. We can merely form mental models to understand the world around us. We use the model that fits our goals the best. For advancing the frontiers of technology, the scientific model proves best. But does technology equal happiness? Not so for the majority of people___

  • ___I know many parts of the world intimately, and am very sad to say that (though our ways have brought improvements to everyone) the net effect is massively negative to most people on at least three continents

    Their personal happiness (I think the point in living?) was MUCH greater with their old ways...

    It is about "your world" vs. "my world", in EVERY sense.

  • Would you give up truth and understanding for personal happiness? If so, I have some crack and religion on sale for you.

  • Comment removed

  • Ah well, since youtube apparently does not want me to post, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

    While today's truth will be outdated tomorrow, and I most sincerely doubt you will find understanding, I DO hope you will find happiness.

    Ciau

  • tryptamines CAN be taken orally...

  • will it still be as active?

  • psilocybin is a tryptamine, and you eat those mushrooms, and they are very effective.

  • In the mouth of a fool is a rod for his pride.

    The mouth of the wicked pours out evil things

    Before destruction the heart of man is haughty

    Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall

    When the whirlwind passes the wicked is no more

    And to man He said Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, to shun evil is understanding

  • very good and invormative...thx acerb for share it!!

  • Very good video here.

  • Thanks Acerb for sharing this interesting and informative video! Great work!

  • excellent!!5*****

  • it/s good there are people like you to tell us about this, it gives one a wake up call. thankyou,  -val

  • Evil men do not understand justice

  • yo jabsea its luke ya robin!!!!! represent!!!! SAAS!!!!!

  • This is such an amazing idea.

    Anyone else here for Robin?

  • yo its luke robin!!!! represent SAAS!!!!!

  • Fantastic! 5*

  • Brilliant Speaker!

    Its made me more aware of the dying cultures that are being sucked into the global ethnocide.

  • I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF! out of all the people to speak on the Amazon and this sacred knowledge he has laid it out PERFECTLY assimilatable. it goes in deep.

  • u r the most phony person seen on utube,amazontroy/certifiedheal­thnut spiritually bankrupt making money off what should be spiritual blessings, like sum kind of spiritual vampire, cant even face the arguments, just delete them from ur vid, like a coward! too funny, come out and face me honestly coward, evil medicine man, stealer of peoples money and feeder on the spirit of others, u are no healer, u are user. yes, delete comments u cant face or make rational reply to, u too phony man!

  • That dude is brilliant!

  • I really would like to see more room be reserved for *traditional indigenous* people to continue ancient lifestyles.

    Dont get me wrong, I am very much a modern technophile; high energy physics, solid state, fusion, robotics, AI, you name it.

    But I have a profound respect for the ancient ways of the hunter gatherers, that all our ancestors once were. There are so few of them; there is no threat to modernity posed by them other than symbolic as they dont 'validate' modernity. So what?

  • A great way to support indigenous cultures and yourself at the same time is try the products from this company:

    AMAZONHERBSITEdotCOM they are doing incredible work with Amazonian tribes and the plant medicine/nutrition from the rain forest.

  • i wonder if there was ever a recorded speaking event in which both wade and terence mckenna participated. and if so, i wonder if that recording is available.

  • what a beautiful perspective, he has a way with words that just draws you in. this talk really hits home, because i live in such a multicultural society, and yet everyone living in my country gives up parts of their original cultures to become one with the whole. but just what is being given up, and why. how much are we loosing by trying to fit in? i just bought his book light at the edge of the world, i hope its as inspirational as this talk and inspires a pride for one's own cultural history.

  • I saw Wade Davis give this lecture in Arizona a couple of weeks ago...A brilliant presentation! I felt like I had had nutmeg blown up my nose and traveled through a tunnel lined with Baroque paintings!

  • How do I find out when he will come to California?

  • Genius! Genius! Genius!

  • Wade Davis has been my hero since I was like 16 - definitely my hero

  • an excellent memory, excellent public speaker, fast pace and hardly any slipups...

  • I saw this film made about Wade Davis' exploration into voodoo and zombification in Haiti. It's called The Serpent and the Rainbow directed by Wade Davis... true story, very interesting.

  • Actually that was Wes Craven that directed it.

  • "Politicians will never accomplish anything" is true, except condone the soon-to-be destruction of our planet as we know it. No other species is greedy enough to destroy their home, just humans. So can we still think ourselves superior???? A pup wolf knows more than us!

  • just a small but really important remark... the HUMAN SPECIES is NOT greedy up to the point of destroying their home; the WESTERN CULTURE is.

    There're other ways of being human--that is what this kind of anthropological research should b reminding us. But we're so close-minded and self-referent that we think being human is being what we westerners are. And thats not true. We should learn with the other cultures instead of erasing them. Its really a joke that we think ourselves more developed..

  • Well said: it is power which destroys the world, the ecosphere and the peoples & their wisdom; oftentimes peoples who know a lot more about the multi-dimensional nature of the mystery of life than any cartesians power dominated minds...

  • Guess I ought to go to Monterey next year huh! Language also embodies the ethics of a group, i might add. Woaw! Language exogamy! I didn't know that form of mariage! Facinating knowledge he talks about and excellent parallels between traditional beliefs and the doings of 'the little brothers'. How much 'we' have lost playing god... and nice results we got huh!

  • Someone who appreciates life and the great diversity in it --- wow. As with ethnicity, we also must appreciate, celibrate, and honor our individuality as persons. Without diversity and uniqueness, life becomes monochromatic and conformist.

  • Wow, Wade is a beautiful human being.  That was an amazing talk. I'm in awe and so grateful.

  • Meeting and working with this man was an unforgettable pleasure. There were times that the crew found ourselves with our jaws dropped, just listening to him speak of his experiences. Thank you Wade.

  • This guy kicks ass. I worked with him on a Imax film for the past 9 days. It's called water planet. You guys will love it when it hits the theater.

  • I wish there's more normal people like Wade Davis.