A fact came out of MIT, couple of years ago. Ken Hale, who's a linguist, said that of the 6,000 languages spoken on Earth right now, 3,000 aren't spoken by the children. So that in one generation, we're going to halve our cultural diversity. He went on to say that every two weeks, an elder goes to the grave carrying the last spoken word of that culture. So an entire philosophy, a body of knowledge about the natural world that had been empirically gleaned over centuries, goes away. And this happens every two weeks.
Urmatoarea informatie a iesit de la MIT, acum doi ani. Lingvistul Ken Hale spunea ca din 6.000 de limbi vorbite pe pamant la ora actuala, 3.000 nu sunt vorbite de catre copii. Astfel ca, intr-o generatie, diversitatea culturala se va injumatati. A mai spus ca la fiecare doua saptamani un batran duce cu el in mormant ultimele cuvinte graite in acea cultura. Astfel, o intreaga filosofie, o masa de cunostinte despre lumea naturala culese in mod empiric de-a lungul secolelor, dispare. Asta se intampla la fiecare doua saptamani.
So for the last 20 years, since my dental experience, I have been traveling the world and coming back with stories about some of these people. What I'd like to do right now is share some of those stories with you. This is Tamdin. She is a 69-year-old nun. She was thrown in prison in Tibet for two years for putting up a little tiny placard protesting the occupation of her country. And when I met her, she had just taken a walk over the Himalayas from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, into Nepal, across to India -- 30 days -- to meet her leader, the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama lives in Dharamsala, India. So I took this picture three days after she arrived, and she had this beat-up pair of tennis shoes on, with her toes sticking out. And she crossed in March, and there's a lot of snow at 18,500 feet in March.
Deci in ultimii 20 de ani, de la ultima mea experienta ca si dentist, am calatorit prin lume intorcandu-ma cu cateva povesti despre acesti oameni. Si -- ce as vrea sa fac acum este sa va impartasesc cateva dintre aceste povesti. Aceasta este Tamdin. Este o calugarita de 69 de ani. A fost bagata doi ani la inchisoare in Tibet pentru ca tinea o pancarta mica in semn de protest impotriva ocuparii tarii sale. Cand am cunoscut-o, tocmai se intorsese dintr-o plimbare pe jos peste muntii Himalaya din Lhasa, capitala Tibetului, in Nepal, traversand India -- 30 de zile -- pentru a-si intalni liderul, Dalai Lama. Dalai Lama traieste in Dharamsala, India. Poza aceasta i-am facut-o la trei zile dupa ce a ajuns, era incaltata cu o pereche de tenisi foarte uzati, din care ii ieseau degetele. A calatorit in luna martie cand zapada este foarte mare la 5.600 m altitudine.
This is Paldin. Paldin is a 62-year-old monk. And he spent 33 years in prison. His whole monastery was thrown into prison at the time of the uprising, when the Dalai Lama had to leave Tibet. And he was beaten, starved, tortured -- lost all his teeth while in prison. And when I met him, he was a kind gentle old man. And it really impressed me -- I met him two weeks after he got out of prison -- that he went through that experience, and ended up with the demeanor that he had.
Acesta este Paldin. Paldin este un calugar de 62 de ani. Si a petrecut 33 de ani in inchisoare. El si toti cei din manastire au fost bagati la inchisoare cand a avut loc rascoala, iar Dalai Lama a fost nevoit sa paraseasca Tibetul. Si a fost batut, infometat, torturat -- i-au cazut toti dintii in timpul inchisorii. Iar cand l-am cunoscut, nu era decat un batran bland si linistit. Si chiar m-a impresionat -- l-am cunoscut la doua saptamani dupa ce a iesit din inchisoare -- ca, dupa ce a trecut prin acea experienta, a ajuns sa aiba o asfel de atitudine.
So I was in Dharamsala meeting these people, and I'd spent about five weeks there, and I was hearing these similar stories of these refugees that had poured out of Tibet into Dharamsala. And it just so happened, on the fifth week, there was a public teaching by the Dalai Lama. And I was watching this crowd of monks and nuns, many of which I had just interviewed, and heard their stories, and I watched their faces, and they gave us a little FM radio, and we could listen to the translation of his teachings. And what he said was: treat your enemies as if they were precious jewels, because it's your enemies that build your tolerance and patience on the road to your enlightenment. That hit me so hard, telling these people that had been through this experience.
In timp ce cunosteam acesti oameni in Dharamsala, am petrecut cinci saptamani acolo, auzeam povesti similare de la tot felul de refugiati care au scapat din Tibet in Dharamsala. Si intamplarea a facut ca in a cincea saptamana Dalai Lama a tinut o prelegere publica. Si el -- iar eu stateam si observam multimea de calugari si calugarite, multi dintre care tocmai i-am intervievat, si le-am ascultat povestea, si le-am observat expresia fetei, ne-au dat un mic radio FM si am putut sa ascultam o traducere a invataturilor lui. Ce a spus era: trateaza-ti dusmanii ca pe niste bijuterii pretioase, deoarece ei sunt cei care iti construiesc toleranta si rabdarea in drumul tau spre iluminare. Si nu am mai rezistat -- asta m-a lovit asa de tare, sa le spuna asta acelor oameni care au trecut prin aceasta experienta.
So, two months later, I went into Tibet, and I started interviewing the people there, taking my photographs. That's what I do. I interview and do portraits. And this is a little girl. I took her portrait up on top of the Jokhang Temple. And I'd snuck in -- because it's totally illegal to have a picture of the Dalai Lama in Tibet -- it's the quickest way you can get arrested. So I snuck in a bunch of little wallet-sized pictures of the Dalai Lama, and I would hand them out. And when I gave them to the people, they'd either hold them to their heart, or they'd hold them up to their head and just stay there. And this is -- well, at the time -- I did this 10 years ago -- that was 36 years after the Dalai Lama had left.
Asadar, doua luni mai tarziu, am mers in Tibet si am inceput sa intervievez oamenii de acolo, fotografiindu-i. Cu asta ma ocup eu. Iau interviuri si fac portrete. Si -- si aceasta este o fetita. I-am facut portretul sus la templul Jokhang. A trebuit sa ma furisez -- pentru ca este absolut ilegal sa detii o poza cu Dalai Lama in Tibet -- este cea mai rapida metoda de a fi arestat. Asa ca am strecurat inauntru un teanc de poze de marimea unui portofel cu Dalai Lama, si le-am impartit oamenilor. Cand le daruiam oamenilor, acestia le tineau in dreptul inimii sau stateau cu ele la frunte. Si asta era -- la acea vreme -- am facut poza asta acum 10 ani -- la 36 de ani dupa plecarea lui Dalai Lama.
So I was going in, interviewing these people and doing their portraits. This is Jigme and her sister, Sonam. And they live up on the Chang Tang, the Tibetan Plateau, way in the western part of the country. This is at 17,000 feet. And they had just come down from the high pastures, at 18,000 feet. Same thing: gave her a picture, she held it up to her forehead. And I usually hand out Polaroids when I do these, because I'm setting up lights, and checking my lights, and when I showed her her Polaroid, she screamed and ran into her tent.
Deci mergeam si intervievam acesti oameni si le faceam portretele. Ea este Jigme si sora ei, Sonam. Ele stau sus pe Chang Tang, Platoul Tibetan, tocmai in partea de vest a tarii. Asta este la 5.200 m altitudine. Tocmai au coborat de la pasunile aflate la 5.500 de metri. Acelasi lucru: i-am daruit o poza, iar ea a dus-o la frunte. Si de obicei le daruiesc Polaroide, deoarece pot seta luminile si le pot proba, iar cand i-am aratat lui Jigme un Polaroid, a zbierat si a fugit in cort.
This is Tenzin Gyatso; he was found to be the Buddha of Compassion at the age of two, out in a peasant's house, way out in the middle of nowhere. At the age of four, he was installed as the 14th Dalai Lama. As a teenager, he faced the invasion of his country, and had to deal with it -- he was the leader of the country. Eight years later, when they discovered there was a plot to kill him, they dressed him up like a beggar and snuck him out of the country on horseback, and took the same trip that Tamdin did. And he's never been back to his country since. And if you think about this man, 46 years later, still sticking to this non-violent response to a severe political and human rights issue. And the young people, young Tibetans, are starting to say, listen, this doesn't work. You know, violence as a political tool is all the rage right now. And he still is holding this line. So this is our icon to non-violence in our world -- one of our living icons.
Acesta este Gyatso, a fost descoperit ca fiind Buddha al Compasiunii la varsta de doi ani, in casa unui taran, in mijlocul pustietatii. La varsta de patru ani a fost numit al 14-lea Dalai Lama. Ca adolescent a infruntat invazia tarii sale si a trebuit sa-i faca fata -- el era conducatorul tarii. Opt ani mai tarziu, cand s-a descoperit ca se pune la cale un complot ca sa-l omoare, l-au imbracat in haine de cersetor si l-au furisat calare afara din tara, urmand acelasi traseu ca si Tamdin. Acolo traieste si acum -- si de atunci nu s-a mai intors in tara lui. Si cand te gandesti ca acest om, 46 de ani mai tarziu, adera la acelasi raspuns non-violent fata de problemele severe dintre politica si drepturile omului. Iar tinerii, tineri tibetani, incep sa spuna, atentie, ceva nu merge bine. Sa stiti ca vi -- violenta ca unealta politica face ravagii acum. Si el inca se tine tare. Deci aceasta este icoana noastra a non-violentei in lume -- unul din simbolurile noastre vii.
This is another leader of his people. This is Moi. This is in the Ecuadorian Amazon. And Moi is 35 years old. And this area of the Ecuadorian Amazon -- oil was discovered in 1972. And in this period of time -- since that time -- as much oil, or twice as much oil as was spilled in the Exxon Valdez accident, was spilled in this little area of the Amazon, and the tribes in this area have constantly had to move. And Moi belongs to the Huaorani tribe, and they're known as very fierce, they're known as "auca." And they've managed to keep out the seismologists and the oil workers with spears and blowguns. And we spent -- I was with a team -- two weeks with these guys out in the jungle watching them hunt. This was on a monkey hunt, hunting with curare-tipped darts. And the knowledge that these people have about the natural environment is incredible. They could hear things, smell things, see things I couldn't see. And I couldn't even see the monkeys that they were getting with these darts.
Acesta este un alt lider al poporului sau. El este Moi. Asta este in Amazonul Ecuadorian. Iar Moi are 35 de ani. Si in aceasta zona a Amazonului Ecuadorian -- petrolul a fost descoperit in 1972. Iar in aceasta perioada de timp -- de atunci -- la fel de mult sau de doua ori mai mult petrol, cat a fost varsat in accidentul Exxon Valdez, a fost varsat si in aceasta mica zona a Amazonului, iar triburile din aceasta zona au trebuit sa se mute constant. Moi face parte din tribul Huaorani, si sunt cunoscuti ca fiind foarte indarjiti, sunt cunoscuti ca "auca." Si au reusit sa tina departe seismologii si petrolul -- muncitorii din domeniul petrolier doar cu sulite si tuburi cu sageti. Si am petrecut -- noi am petrecut -- am fost o echipa -- doua saptamani in jungla cu acesti oameni privindu-i cum vaneaza. Asta este la o vanatoare de maimute, care se vaneaza cu sageti cu varful imbibat in curara. Iar cunostintele pe care le au acesti oameni despre mediul inconjurator sunt incredibile. Pot sa auda, sa miroasa, sa vada lucruri pe care eu nu puteam sa le vad. Si nici macar nu puteam sa vad maimutele pe care le doborau cu aceste sageti.
This is Yadira, and Yadira is five years old. She's in a tribe that's neighboring the Huaorani. And her tribe has had to move three times in the last 10 years because of the oil spills. And we never hear about that. And the latest infraction against these people is, as part of Plan Colombia, we're spraying Paraquat or Round Up, whatever it is -- we're defoliating thousands of acres of the Ecuadorian Amazon in our war on drugs. And these people are the people who take the brunt of it.
Ea este Yadira, Yadira are cinci ani. Este dintr-un -- a -- trib invecinat cu Huaorani. Si tribul ei a fost nevoit sa se mute de trei ori in ultimii 10 ani datorita varsarii de petrol. Iar noi nu auzim niciodata despre asa ceva. Iar ultima infractiune impotriva acestor oameni este, face parte din Planul Columbia, care pulverizeaza cu Paraquat sau Round Up, sau ce-o mai fi -- defriseaza mii de hectare ale Amazonului Ecuadorian in razboiul impotriva drogurilor. Iar acestia sunt oamenii care suporta consecintele.
This is Mengatoue. He's the shaman of the Huaorani, and he said to us, you know, I'm an older man now; I'm getting tired, you know; I'm tired of spearing these oil workers. I wish they would just go away. And I was -- I usually travel alone when I do my work, but I did this -- I hosted a program for Discovery, and when I went down with the team, I was quite concerned about going in with a whole bunch of people, especially into the Huaorani, deep into the Huaorani tribe. And as it turned out, these guys really taught me a thing or two about blending in with the locals. (Laughter)
Acesta este Mengatoue. El este samanul tribului Huaorani, iar el -- el doar -- el ne-a spus, stiti, sunt batran acum, si ma satur, stiti, m-am saturat sa-i tot alung cu sagetile pe acesti oameni care lucreaza cu petrolul, as vrea doar sa plece. Iar eu am fost -- de obicei calatoresc singur cand imi fac treaba, dar am facut urmatorul lucru -- am fost gazda unui program pentru Discovery, iar cand m-am dus cu echipajul acolo am fost cam ingrijorat de faptul ca eram cu un grup mare de oameni, mai ales la Huaorani, in mijlocul tribului Huaorani. Dar pana la urma, acesti oameni m-au invatat una alta despre cum sa ma integrez printre localnici. (Rasete)
One of the things I did just before 9/11 -- August of 2001 -- I took my son, Dax, who was 16 at the time, and I took him to Pakistan. Because at first I wanted -- you know, I've taken him on a couple of trips, but I wanted him to see people that live on a dollar a day or less. I wanted him to get an experience in the Islamic world and I also wanted him to -- I was going there to work with a group, do a story on a group called the Kalash, that are a group of animists, 3,000 animists, that live -- very small area -- surrounded by Islam -- there's 3,000 of these Kalash left; they're incredible people. So it was a great experience for him. He stayed up all night with them, drumming and dancing. And he brought a soccer ball, and we had soccer every night in this little village.
Unul din lucrurile care le-am facut chiar inainte de 9/11 -- in august 2001 -- a fost sa-mi duc fiul, Dax, care avea 16 atunci, in Pakistan. Deoarece, initial, am vrut -- sa stiti ca l-am dus cu mine in vreo doua excursii, insa am vrut ca el sa vada oameni care traiesc cu un dolar sau mai putin pe zi. Am vrut sa aiba parte de o experienta in lumea islamului si de asemenea am vrut ca el -- am mers acolo sa lucrez cu un grup, sa fac o poveste despre un grup numit Kalash, care sunt un grup de animisti, 3.000 de animisti, care locuiesc -- o zona foarte mica -- inconjurati de Islam -- 3.000 de oameni din Kalash au mai ramas, si sunt niste oameni incredibili. Asadar a fost o experienta foarte buna pentru el. Toata noaptea a stat treaz cu ei, cantand la tobe si dansand. Si le-a dus o minge de fobal si jucam fotbal in acel satuc in fiecare seara.
And then we went up and met their shaman. By the way, Mengatoue was the shaman of his tribe as well. And this is John Doolikahn, who's the shaman of the Kalash. And he's up in the mountains, right on the border with Afghanistan. In fact, on that other side is the area, Tora Bora, the area where Osama bin Laden's supposed to be. This is the tribal area. And we watched and stayed with John Doolikahn. And the shaman -- I did a whole series on shamanism, which is an interesting phenomenon. But around the world, they go into trance in different ways, and in Pakistan, the way they do it is they burn juniper leaves and they sacrifice an animal, pour the blood of the animal on the leaves and then inhale the smoke. And they're all praying to the mountain gods as they go into trance.
Iar apoi ne-am dus si l-am cunoscut pe samanul lor. Apropo, Mengatoue era si samanul tribului sau. Iar acesta este John Doolikahn, samanul tribului Kalash. Si locuieste sus in munti, la granita cu Afganistan. De fapt, de cealalta parte este zona, Tora Bora, zona in care se banuieste ca s-ar gasi Osama bin Laden. Aceasta este zona tribului. Si noi am privit si am stat cu John Doolikahn. Iar samanul -- am facut o intreaga serie despre samanism, ceea ce este un -- un fenomen interesant. Insa peste tot in lume, ei intra in transa in moduri diferite, iar in Pakistan, modul in care o fac este ard frunze de ienupar si sacrifica un animal, ii toarna sangele peste frunze si apoi inhaleaza fumul. Si toti se roaga la zeii muntilor in timp ce -- in timp ce intra in transa.
You know, getting kids used to different realities, I think, is so important. What Dan Dennett said the other day -- having a curriculum where they study different religions, just to make a mental flexibility, give them a mental flexibility in different belief systems -- I think this is so necessary in our world today as you see these clash of beliefs taking place. And all the security issues they cause us. So, one thing we did five years ago: we started a program that links kids in indigenous communities with kids in the United States. So we first hooked up a spot in the Navajo Nation with a classroom in Seattle. We now have 15 sites. We have one in Kathmandu, Nepal; Dharamsala, India; Takaungu, Kenya -- Takaungu is one-third Christian, one-third Muslim and one-third animist, the community is -- Ollantaytambo, Peru, and Arctic Village, Alaska.
Acesta a fost -- stiti, un mod de a-i obisnui pe copii cu diferite realitati, si cred ca este foarte important. Cum spunea si Dan Dennett ieri -- sa aiba un curriculum in care sa studieze diferite religii -- pentru a obtine o flexibilitate mentala -- care sa le dea o flexibilitate mentala intr-un sistem de credinte diferit. Cred ca este foarte necesar in ziua de azi avand in vedere discrepanta dintre credinte care s-a creat. Si toate problemele de siguranta care -- care ni le-au creat. Iar ceea ce am facut acum cinci ani a fost sa incepem un program care sa creeze o legatura intre copii din comunitatile indigene cu copii din Statele Unite. Prima legatura a fost -- un loc din Natiunea Najaro cu o clasa din Seattle. Acum avem 15 situri. Avem unul in Kathmandu, Nepal; Dharamsala, India; Takaungu, Kenya -- Takaungu este o treime crestin, o treime musulman si o treime animist, comunitatea este -- Ollantaytambo, Peru, si Arctic Village, Alaska.
This is Daniel; he's one of our students in Arctic Village, Alaska. He lives in this log cabin -- no running water, no heat other than -- no windows and high-speed Internet connection. And this is -- I see this rolling out all over -- this is our site in Ollantaytambo, Peru, four years ago, where they first saw their first computers; now they have computers in their classrooms. And the way we've done this -- we teach digital storytelling to these kids. And we have them tell stories about issues in their community in their community that they care about. And this is in Peru, where the kids told the story about a river that they cleaned up. And the way we do it is, we do it in workshops, and we bring people who want to learn digital workflow and storytelling, and have them work with the kids. And just this last year we've taken a group of teenagers in, and this has worked the best. So our dream is to bring teenagers together, so they'll have a community service experience as well as a cross-cultural experience, as they teach kids in these areas and help them build their communication infrastructure.
Acesta este Daniel, unul dintre elevii nostri in Arctic Village, Alaska. Locuieste in aceasta cabana de lemn: fara instalatie de apa, fara alta sursa de caldura -- fara geamuri si cu conexiune rapida la internet. Iar aceasta este -- este --- vad asta peste tot -- acesta este situl nostru din Ollantaytambo, Peru, acum patru ani, cand au vazut primul calculator din viata lor; acum au calculatoare in salile de clasa. Iar modul in care am facut asta -- a fost sa-i invatam pe acesti copii sa spuna povesti cu ajutorul calculatorului Si ii punem sa povesteasca despre problemele din comunitatile lor in comunitatile lor despre care le pasa. Asta este in Peru, unde copiii au spus povestea unui rau pe care l-au curatat. Iar modul in care ne organizam este in workshop-uri in care aducem oameni care vor sa ii invete fluxul de lucru digital si povestirea si ii punem sa lucreze cu copiii. Chiar anul trecut am adus un grup de adolescenti si a mers cel mai bine. Deci visul nostru este sa unim adolescentii ca sa aiba o experienta in serviciul comunitatii si, de asemenea, o experienta in schimbul cultural, prin faptul ca ii invata pe copiii din aceste zone si ii ajuta sa isi construiasca o infrastructura in comunicare.
This is teaching Photoshop in the Tibetan children's village in Dharamsala. We have the website, where the kids all get their homepage. This is all their movies. We've got about 60 movies that these kids have made, and they're quite incredible. The one I want to show you -- after we get them to make the movies, we have a night where we show the movies to the community. And this is in Takaungu -- we've got a generator and a digital projector, and we're projecting it up against a barn, and showing one of the movies that they made. And if you get a chance, you can go to our website, and you'll see the incredible work these kids do.
Aici este la o lectie de Photoshop la copiii -- satul tibetan al copiilor din Dharamsala. Avem un website unde fiecare copil are un homepage. Acestea sunt toate filmele lor. Avem cam 60 de filme facute de acesti copii si sunt chiar incredibile. Cel care vreau sa vi-l prezint -- dupa ce il terminam, avem o seara in care aratam filmele intregii comunitati. Iar aceasta este in Takaungu -- avem un generator si un proiector digital, si l-am proiectat pe un hambar, le aratam unul din filmuletele pe care le-am facut. Si daca aveti ocazia, puteti accesa website-ul nostru, si veti vedea munca incredibila pe care o fac acesti copii.
The other thing: I wanted to give indigenous people a voice. That was one of the big motivating factors. But the other motivating factor is the insular nature of our country. National Geographic just did a Roper Study of 18 to 26 year olds in our country and in nine other industrialized countries. It was a two million dollar study. United States came in second to last in geographic knowledge. 70 percent of the kids couldn't find Afghanistan or Iraq on a map; 60 percent couldn't find India; 30 percent couldn't find the Pacific Ocean. And this is a study that was just done a couple of years ago.
Copiii din -- inca un lucru: am vrut sa dau voce oamenilor indigeni. Acesta a fost unul din cei mai mari factori care m-au motivat. Insa celalalt factor care m-a motivat a fost natura insulara a tarii noastre. National Geografic tocmai a facut un Studiu Roper pentru oameni intre 18 si 26 de ani in tara noastra si in alte noua tari industrializate. A fost un studiu de doua milioane de dolari. Statele Unite au iesit pe penultimul loc in materie de cunostinte geografice. 70 la suta din copii nu au putut localiza Afganistanul sau Iraq-ul pe harta, 60 la suta nu au gasit India; 30 la suta nu au putut gasi Oceanul Pacific. Iar acesta este un studiu facut acum doi ani.
So what I'd like to show you now, in the couple of minutes I have left, is a film that a student made in Guatemala. We just had a workshop in Guatemala. A week before we got to the workshop, a massive landslide, caused by Hurricane Stan, last October, came in and buried 600 people alive in their village. And this kid lived in the village -- he wasn't there at the time -- and this is the little movie he put together about that. And he hadn't seen a computer before we did this movie. We taught him Photoshop and -- yeah, we can play it.
Iar ceea ce as vrea sa va arat acum in cele doua minute cate mi-au mai ramas este un filmulet facut de un elev din Guatemala. Tocmai am avut un workshop in Guatemala. Cu o saptamana inainte sa ajungem la workshop o masiva alunecare de teren, cauzata de uraganul Stan, in octombrie care a trecut, a venit si a ingropat de vii 600 de oameni in satele lor. Iar acest copil a trait in acel sat -- nu era acolo cand s-a intamplat -- insa acesta este fimuletul pe care l-a facut despre ce s-a intamplat. Si nu a vazut in viata lui un calculator inainte sa facem acest film. L-am invatat Photoshop si -- da, il putem viziona.
This is an old Mayan funeral chant that he got from his grandfather.
Acesta este un cantec mayan vechi pentru inmormantari invatat de la bunicul sau.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
Va multumesc mult. (Aplauze)