Traditional Ways on Huahine

Susan Spano described a scary incident that occurred on Huahine, one of the Society Islands located 100 miles northwest of Tahiti. A former travel writer for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, she was interviewed by the L.A. Times last week regarding a new book she has… Continue reading…

Yanadi Abandon Traditions, Modernize

The schoolmaster in the Yanadi hamlet of Pamulametta, portrayed in news stories a year ago, continues to lead the community into changing their lives. A news story last week in The Hindu describes the work that Chilukuri Srinivasa Rao has been doing with the children in his school. The hamlet,… Continue reading…

Preserving Lepcha Culture

The Digital Journal, an Internet news service based in Canada, published an opinion piece last week about a British Library project to archive in digital format the artifacts of written Lepcha culture. Fortunately, the story provides a link to the British Library website where one can find more information about… Continue reading…

Rural Thai Culture of Rice Farming

The role of rice in the diet, culture, economy, and politics of Thailand received renewed attention in recent weeks as the country prepared for its national elections. The current political dispute in Thailand, though mostly peaceful, has garnered international news for several months focusing on the rural/urban divide in the… Continue reading…

Mainwaring Celebrated the Lepchas

“Lepcha was the language spoken in the Garden of Eden,” thought G. B. Mainwaring, the British general and scholar who published in 1876 a comprehensive grammar of the Lepcha language. Geoffrey Gorer provided that quote on page 39 of his book Himalayan Village: An Account of the Lepchas of Sikkim…. Continue reading…

Cockfighting in Rural Thailand

Last week, a young American posted on his travel blog numerous pictures, a video, and an interesting narrative describing a cockfight he attended in rural Thailand. Bradley, who describes himself as “a 25 year old dude from California,” lives and teaches English in the rural northeastern part of the country…. Continue reading…

Buid Traditions Taught in Mangyan School

Allan Agaw, a 16 year old student, clearly cherishes the sharing tradition of his society—he hopes to give back to his Buid community in the Philippines after he completes his education. The spirit of giving and sharing, an outstanding characteristic of the Buid, was noted in the scholarly works of… Continue reading…

Buid Traditions Taught in Mangyan School

Allan Agaw, a 16 year old student, clearly cherishes the sharing tradition of his society—he hopes to give back to his Buid community in the Philippines after he completes his education. The spirit of giving and sharing, an outstanding characteristic of the Buid, was noted in the scholarly works of… Continue reading…