Mary Edwards

The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World, Wade Davis, Toronto: Anansi Press, 2009, 240 pages.

The title chapter of The Wayfinders tells of Polynesian navigators’ ability to travel great distances in canoes by reading signs of the ocean, sky, animals and wind. Traversing cultures whose people, like the navigators, have an intimate knowledge of their environments, this book illustrates human brilliance and the capacity to be deeply attuned to our inner and outer worlds.

Derived from his Massey Lecture series of the same name, Wade Davis, celebrated Canadian author and anthropologist, argues that indigenous cultures are guiding lights on how to live sustainably. ...