Millennium: tribal wisdom and the modern world

Harvard anthropologist Maybury-Lewis argues that the ancient wisdom, communal sharing and closeness to nature found in tribal societies hold survival lessons for our modern industrial society steeped in wastes and rootlessness. The companion volume to a PBS television series hosted by the author, this beautiful, intriguing album surveys 11 traditional societies, from the Gabra who thrive in Kenya's northern desert to the Makuna Indians of Colombia whose belief in the sacredness of fish-spawning places helps prevent plundering. Spliced with stunning photographs, engravings and maps in jazzy layouts, the text examines how indigenous peoples negotiate gender identity, family ties, sex, governance, old age, death and all-pervasive religious beliefs while fending off technological onslaught. An enlightening multicultural primer.