Endangered Peoples
Davidson ( In the Wake of the Exxon Valdez ) examines the plight of the nearly 250 million indigenous people whose cultures face extinction in every region of the world. He describes these native populations and shows how their lands, religions, customs and very existence are variously imperiled. He cites threats of development (as in Canada, where the James Bay hydroelectric project will destroy the Cree way of life), repressive governments (exemplified by Indonesia's systematic extermination of the Maubere of East Timor) and political policies that will gradually assimilate native cultures out of existence (as in China). One hundred color photographs of men, women and children in traditional costumes illustrate this plea for the rights of indigenous peoples. Most moving, however, are Davidson's accounts of the individuals with whom he has become friendly--a Yup'ik Eskimo in Alaska, a Kelabit tribesman in Malaysia, a Quechua Indian in Peru, a Maori in New Zealand and many others--all fervently hoping to continue living in the traditions of their ancestors. First serial to Smithsonian.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.