Town Hall Seattle and Braided River present
Kiliii Yüyan
Indigenous Knowledge in Conservation – A Journey Through Photos
EVENT NOTES
Doors for this event will open at 6:30 PM. Town Hall events are approximately 75 minutes long.
Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet
Elliott Bay Book Company
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When we think of environmental conservation, we tend to think in terms of emerging technologies and increased data tracking. While technology is one piece of the puzzle, we are also called to look back and take stock of information that has existed since time immemorial. In Indigenous communities, knowledge of the environment and how to protect it has been acquired over countless generations. In Guardians of Life: Indigenous Science, Indigenous Wisdom and Restoring the Planet, Kiliii Yüyan presents a photographic journey that reveals Indigenous communities to be Earth’s most powerful protectors.
Yüyan’s photography is informed by the collective wisdom of more than two dozen Indigenous voices, including activist Quannah Chasinghorse and Palauan statesman Tommy Remengesau Jr. Yüyan provides striking imagery to assist in telling the stories of how traditional knowledge and modern innovation come together as a planetary safeguard. Guardians of Life takes us all over the world, from the coral reefs in Palau, to Mongolia’s steppes, to the Amazon rainforest, even to beds of sea ice in Greenland.
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Without leaving one’s seat, Yüyan’s photographs transport us to the most stunning locations up close and personal. We witness environments of the utmost ecological importance, but which presently sit in a place of precarity. Through artfully crafted photography and meaningful collaboration, Yüyan shows the reader how ancient Indigenous wisdom and new technology come together to drive the cutting-edge of environmental conservation.
Photographer and National Geographic Explorer KILIII YÜYAN (Author and Photographer) brings to life stories from the Arctic sea ice, beneath the waves, and within the heart of human communities. Of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) descent, he works through a cross-cultural lens, exploring how humanity—inseparable from the natural world—lives in relationship with land and sea. Kiliii has spent years immersed in the polar regions, documenting Indigenous lifeways, marine ecosystems, and remote landscapes. His fieldwork is shaped by experience in the field: he has faced down a stalking polar bear, dived among sea snakes, and found connection and understanding among people often overlooked at the world’s edges. A dynamic speaker and storyteller, Kiliii has taken the stage at TEDx, toured with NatGeo Live, and now keynotes through Changemaker Talent, sharing the human stories behind his images. Based in Seattle, he is more commonly found beneath the sea or atop Arctic ice.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Braided River.
Events are offered for informational, entertainment, and educational purposes only. Read Town Hall’s Program Content Policy.