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Motivational Speaker: Wade
Davis
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Wade Davis, a professional speaker for
nearly twenty years has lectured at over 70 universities, numerous
corporate groups and professional associations. Wade Davis is an
Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. Named by the
Geographic as one of the "Explorers for the Millennium", Wade Davis is an
anthropologist and plant explorer who received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany
from Harvard University. Described by ABC 20/20 as a real life Indiana
Jones, Davis spent three years in the Amazon and Andes searching for new
medicinal drugs, before heading to Haiti to investigate folk poisons used
to create zombies. Wade Davis has spoken to thousands of audiences around
the world and will be the highlight of your next event. |
Topics Include
Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey
through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures
One of the intense pleasures of travel is the
opportunity to live among peoples who have not forgotten the old ways, who
still feel the past in the wind, touch it in stones polished by rain,
recognize its taste in the bitter leaves of plants. Just to know that nomadic
hunters exist, that jaguar shaman yet journey beyond the Milky Way, that the
myths of Athabaskan elders still resonate with meaning, is to remember that
our world does not exist in some absolute sense but rather is just one model
of reality. The Penan in the forests of Borneo, the Vodoun acolytes in Haiti,
the wandering holy men of the Sahara teach us that there are other options,
other possibilities, other ways of thinking and interacting with the Earth.
This lecture moves throughout the world, from Borneo to
Tibet, from the high Arctic to the Amazon, as Davis shares his experiences as
an anthropologist and plant explorer. For three years he traveled in the Andes
and Amazon, living among a dozen or more tribes as he searched for new sources
of medicines and studied coca, the most sacred plant of the Inca and the
notorious source of cocaine. Collecting some 6000 botanical specimens, working
with traditional healers and shamans, Davis traversed the Andean Cordillera at
fourteen points and twice descended the Amazon from source to mouth. In 1982,
his research took him to Haiti to study zombies, the living dead of Vodoun
folklore, and investigate the first medically documented case. Working among
the secret societies, he identified a folk preparation that contained a
powerful nerve poison capable of inducing a state of apparent death so
profound that victims could actually be misdiagnosed as dead. This study, the
basis of his dissertation research at Harvard, led to two books, Passage of
Darkness and The Serpent and the Rainbow. From Haiti Davis moved to Borneo
where he lived among the Penan, a nomadic people of the rain forest whose way
of life has within the last twenty years been compromised by the highest rate
of deforestation in the tropics. He later chronicled their plight in Nomads of
the Dawn and Penan: Voice for the Borneo Rainforest. More recently his
research has taken him to the high Arctic, Tibet and the Orinoco delta in
Venezuela, research expeditions which are chronicled in his most recent books
One River, Shadows in the Sun, The Clouded Leopard, and Rainforest.
If there is one lesson to be drawn from these travels, it is that cultural and
biological diversity are far more than the foundation of stability, they are
an article of faith, a fundamental truth that indicates the way things are
supposed to be. If diversity is a source of wonder, its opposite- the
ubiquitous condensation to some blandly amorphous and singularly generic
modern culture witnessed in all parts of the world- is a source of dismay.
There is a fire burning over the Earth, taking with it plants and animals,
cultures, languages, ancient skills and visionary wisdom. Quelling this flame
and reinventing the poetry of diversity is the most important challenge of our
times.
One River: The Life and Times of Richard Evans
Schultes
This lecture,
illustrated by archival footage and photographs, follows the life and
adventures, the tragedies and discoveries of Richard Evans Schultes, the
greatest Amazonian plant explorer of the 20th century. In 1941, having studied
the peyote cult of the Kiowa and journeyed into the mountains of Oaxaca to
solve the mystery of teonanacatl and ololiuqui, the long lost sacred
hallucinogens of the Aztec, Richard Evans Schultes took a leave of absence
from Harvard and disappeared into the Northwest Amazon. Twelve years later he
returned from South America having gone places no white man had ever been,
mapping uncharted rivers and living among two dozen Indian tribes while
collecting 25,000 botanical specimens, including 300 species new to science
and over 2000 plants used as medicines, poisons and hallucinogens by the
Indians. Author of 10 books and over 496 scientific articles, he has been
called by HRH Prince Philip" The Father of Ethnobotany". The world authority
on hallucinogenic plants and rubber, Director Emeritus of the Harvard
Botanical Museum, recipient of numerous awards including the Cross of Boyacá,
Colombia's highest decoration, he is a living link to the great natural
historians of the 19th century and to a distant era when the rainforests stood
immense, inviolable, a green mantle stretching across an entire continent.
This lecture, based on the book, One River: Explorations and Discoveries in
the Amazon Rain Forest, is an eloquent and vivid account of Schultes'
explorations, a celebration of the perseverance and wisdom of Indian peoples,
and a lament for the terrible rate of destruction of landscape, culture and
spirit that time has wrought throughout the Americas.
The
Serpent and the Rainbow: An Exploration of Haitian Vodoun, Secret Societies
and Zombies
According to popular Haitian belief, zombies are the living dead,
individuals raised in a trance from their graves by malevolent sorcerers and
led away to face a life of terror and uncertainty. In early 1982 a team of
prominent physicians and psychiatrists approached the Harvard Botanical Museum
with an astonishing report of the discovery of the first medically documented
case of zombification. Professor Richard Evans Schultes, then Director of the
Museum, assigned Wade Davis the task of traveling to Haiti to search for the
formula of the folk preparation reputedly employed by Vodoun sorcerers to
induce a state of apparent death so profound that victims could actually be
misdiagnosed as dead. This lecture recounts the discovery of that toxin- a
powder containing an extremely potent nerve poison 160,000 times stronger than
cocaine which drastically reduces metabolism and brings on total peripheral
paralysis, even though consciousness is retained.
In searching for the poison, Davis was propelled into a world beyond his
imaginings, a world of spirit possession and animal sacrifice, of sorcerers
and priests, secret societies and Tonton Macoute, the dreaded militia of the
Duvalier regime. Davis discovered that zombification is but one thread woven
through the fabric of an extraordinarily rich culture. He came to realize that
the Vodoun religion itself is not a black magic cult but, on the contrary, a
complex metaphysical worldview that is but the distillation of profound
religious ideas that have their origins in the ancient civilizations of West
Africa. In becoming the first outsider ever to have been initiated into the
Bizango secret societies, he was able to meet actual zombies, study their
past, and explore the reasons for their demise. Based on unprecedented access
to the inner workings of these societies, he concluded that zombification as
both a magical and physical phenomenon is a form of social sanction, a form of
punishment for individuals who transgress the established codes of the
traditional society. In providing a material basis and sociological rationale
for zombification, this presentation attempts to demystify one of the most
misunderstood and exploited of folk beliefs, one that has been used unjustly
to denigrate an entire people and their remarkable religion.
This study became the basis of his dissertation research at Harvard and led to
his writing two books Passage of Darkness and The Serpent and the Rainbow, an
international bestseller that appeared in twelve languages and was later made
into a feature film by Universal Studios.
and more!
Testimonials
Wade's
name came to my attention while I was planning the final dinner event of the
year of centennial celebration of the Boone & Crockett Club to be held in the
Hall of North American Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History. When
I had an opportunity to read his curriculum vitae, I was fascinated, but after
having spent several hours with him and heard him speak, I was moved to a deep
sense of respect… Even though this was a tired group of men who had worked
hard and enjoyed a bit of libation and gastronomic delights, they gave him a
standing ovation at the conclusion of his presentation. In my experience, that
has never occurred at any other time. I can state personally that I have never
been more fascinated with an individual. I can assure you that I would
recommend him to any potential audience as one of the most entertaining,
instructive and thought provoking men that I have ever heard.
- James "Red" Duke, M.D. Professor, Department of Surgery, Medical School, The
University of Texas.
Not in my many years as head of the Heely Lectures have we had quite the
success accorded to Wade's visit. Apart from his charm, wit and intellect, his
eagerness to participate in classes and be available for students and faculty
alike gave everyone he met a thrill of excitement. Here was a man who had, as
they say, done it all and could communicate with verve and depth the meaning
of his experiences both in the wilds of the jungle and the university. His
lecture was accorded a standing ovation. I could have expected nothing better.
-Ed Robbins, Director of Activities, The Lawrenceville School
I would like to extend my sincere thanks for your visit to speak on behalf
of Maplewood Mall to the more than 2000 children of the White Bear and
Maplewood school districts. Your presentation was informative and
enlightening; but even more it was exciting and filed with passion. The group
from Maplewood totaled over 1000 children, all grade 4s. I could not believe
how some of them had been sitting on the gym floor for up to 30 minutes before
your presentation and hardly moved during the show!
-Jeff Carver, Marketing Director, Maplewood Mall
I've had at least twenty lecturers come in to SIU in the last two years.
Never has any one of them been so cooperative or so flexible. He did four
lectures in one day! The students, faculty even the high school students that
were visiting were thrilled with his presentations. He enchanted everyone with
his easy manner, quick wit and genuine friendliness. And, of course, he is
positively brilliant. He's a student programmer's dream come true.
- Yvonne Hawk, Chair, Student Programming Council, Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale
His lecture was spellbinding, not only because of its content and
accompanying slides, but because Dr. Davis' ability to weave together elements
of history, biology, anthropology and psychology into a fascinating story. The
audience was kept on the edge of their chairs for the entire hour and a half
that he spoke. Campus faculty, staff and student responses to his lectures and
talks were unanimously overwhelming. Consensus had it that his visit to the
Campus was not only the best of the four lecturers of the Series, but that
Wade Davis was one of the best speakers that the Campus has ever had.
-Christopher Migliaccio, Director, Department of Continuing Education,
Miami-Dade Community College
Your lecture was a tremendous success and will be talked about for a long
time. You cannot imagine how rewarding it was to go to my 9 am International
Studies class Friday morning and feel the almost palpable energy and
enthusiasm from 30 students. And this after your Wednesday night lecture!
These are students who usually need some time to wake up and who are often
quiet and reserved. Yet on Friday they were still as excited as they had been
on Wednesday night after your talk. They had never heard anyone speak with
such power, style and sensitivity. Spellbinding is an understatement. You,
your books, and your lecture have left a permanent impression on many of us
and we cannot thank you enough for enriching our lives.
-Annette Sampon-Nicolas, Director, International Studies, Hollins University
Your keynote address had something in it for just about everybody.
Feedback from both faculty and students has been overwhelmingly positive. An
estimated 400 people- twice the usual turnout for this event- came to hear
your morning lecture. Your name keeps popping up in class discussions and
student essays. The ripples are still spreading from your having jumped into
our little pond.
-Linda Van Blerkom, Department of Anthropology, Drew University
Thanks you once again for joining us during the college's 25th anniversary
celebration. What a memorable impact you had on our college community! Hardly
a day passes without several people telling me how impressed they were with
you and your presentation. Yes, I know we paid you, but you gave us so much
that money can never buy. For that, we will always be grateful.
-Vern Loland, President, Spokane Falls Community College
Your visit was an outstanding experience for those who had the privilege
of hearing your lectures, visiting with you informally, or listening to your
class presentations. It is a rare occurrence for an individual to have the
communication skills and knowledge to deliver a scholarly lecture filed with
facts and information in such a captivating manner so as to generate serious
thinking and actually change attitudes and values. You were able to do this!
You are a master story-teller. Many students wrote reaction papers to your
evening lecture and I would like to include several of their comments.
· I was enthralled. He had me hanging on every word.
· When I left, I wasn't ready to leave
· Listening to Dr. Davis was an experience I will never forget.
· Dr. Davis was awesome! His lecture was incredible! He is a genius!
· I have never listened to a speaker as interesting as Dr. Davis. He
has opened my mind and changed my life.
· Dr. Davis was an ambassador of the human spirit. I loved his lecture
and learned so much in such a short period of time.
· I couldn't believe he had lectured for an hour and a half. The time
flew!
· Every word made you want to hear more
· I wish it would have lasted longer
· I was so enthralled by the presentation that I found it hard to take
notes
Most of these comments are from college freshmen, and I think it is very clear
that you have had a profound effect on these individuals. This is exactly what
I had hoped would happen.
-Audrey Gabel, Emeritus Professor of Biology, Black Hills State University
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