Wade Davis (anthropologist)

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Wade Davis
Cultural Anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, educator, lecturer
Known forThe Serpent and the Rainbow, The Wayfinders, El Rio
SpouseGail Percy
Children2
Websitewww.daviswade.com

Edmund Wade Davis CM (born December 14, 1953) is a Canadian cultural anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, and photographer.

Davis came to prominence with his 1985 best-selling book The Serpent and the Rainbow about the zombies of Haiti. He is professor of anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia.

Early life, family, and education

Davis was born in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[1]

He holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University.[1][2]

In 1974, at age 20, he crossed the Darién Gap on foot in the company of the English author and amateur explorer, Sebastian Snow.[3]

Career

Davis is an ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. He is a licensed river guide and has worked as park ranger and forestry engineer.

Anthropology and ethnobotany

Mostly through the Harvard Botanical Museum, he spent three years in the

Latin American nations, while making some 6,000 botanical collections.[2] He conducted ethnographic fieldwork among several indigenous societies of northern Canada. His work later took him to Haiti to investigate folk preparations implicated in the creation of zombies, an assignment that led to his writing Passage of Darkness (1988) and The Serpent and the Rainbow (1986), a bestseller. The book was used loosely as the basis of a Wes Craven horror film, The Serpent and the Rainbow
(1988).

Other books by Davis include Penan: Voice for the

Governor General's Literary Award
for nonfiction, Shadows in the Sun (1998),The Clouded Leopard (1998), Rainforest (1998), Light at the Edge of the World (2001), The Lost Amazon (2004), Grand Canyon (2008), Book of Peoples of the World (ed. 2008). His books have been translated into 14 languages

He has published 1800[

Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, Rolling Stone
, and numerous other international publications.

Davis is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP).[citation needed] Davis served as Explorer-in-Residence with the National Geographic Society from 2000 to 2013. [5]

Davis' 2012 book Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest won the Baillie Gifford Prize (formerly the Samuel Johnson prize) for non-fiction. His account weaves together the three Everest expeditions in 1922, 1923 and 1924, set in the shadow of the Great War, by finding "a unifying thread in the person of George Mallory, the scatter-brained Adonis and Bloomsbury favourite whose fate would enthral the nation," wrote John Keay in Literary Review.[6]

Photography

His photographs have appeared in some 20 books and more than 80 magazines, journals, and newspapers, including National Geographic,

National Geographic Books, Bloomsbury, and Douglas & McIntyre. A second collection was under contract for 2013 publication with Douglas & McIntyre as well.[2]

Filmmaking and other media involvement

Davis was the series creator, host, and co-writer of Light at the Edge of the World, a four-hour ethnographic documentary series, shot in

Smithsonian Networks
.

He is featured in the

National Geographic Channel
as part of the second season of Light at the Edge of the World.

In 2022 Davis curated an exhibition at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California that highlighted the history of expeditions to the peak of Mount Everest. The exhibition "Ascent to Glory," included photographs, films and artifacts from five expeditions from the period 1921 to 1953. The Bowers Museum presented the exhibition in partnership with London's Royal Geographical Society. [7]

Advisory work

An honorary research associate of the Institute of Economic Botany of the New York Botanical Garden, he is a Fellow of the

CBC Massey Lectures
, Canada's most prestigious public intellectual forum.

He is a member of the International Advisory Board, Hunt Consolidated, PLNG, and has also been engaged in Journey to Zero, a three-year campaign sponsored by

zero emission vehicles.[9]

Criticisms of work in Haiti

In 1983, Davis first advanced his hypothesis that tetrodotoxin (TTX) poisoning could explain the existence of Haitian zombies.[10] This idea has been controversial and his 1985 follow-up book (The Serpent and the Rainbow) elaborating upon this claim has been criticized as containing scientific inaccuracies.[11] A point questioned is whether Bokors or Caplatas[12] (the priests and priestesses) who are associated with creating "zombies" can keep "zombies" in a pharmacologically induced trance for many years.[13] As part of his Haitian investigations, Davis commissioned the exhumation of a recently buried child.[14][15] (Dead human tissue is supposed to be a part of the "zombie powder" used by Bokors and Caplatas to produce zombies.) This has been criticized as a breach of ethics.[13][16]

The strictly scientific criticism of Davis's zombie project has focused on the claims about the chemical composition of the "zombie powder". Several samples of the powder were analyzed for TTX levels by experts in 1986. They reported [17] that only "insignificant traces of tetrodotoxin [were found] in the samples of 'zombie powder' which were supplied for analysis by Davis" and that "it can be concluded that the widely circulated claim in the lay press to the effect that tetrodotoxin is the causal agent in the initial zombification process is without factual foundation". Davis's claims were subsequently defended by other scientists doing further analyses,[18] and these findings were criticized in turn for poor methodology and technique by the original skeptics.[19]

Aside from the question of whether or not "zombie powder" contains significant amounts of TTX, the underlying concept of "tetrodotoxin zombification" has also been questioned more directly on a physiological basis.[11] TTX, which blocks sodium channels on the neural membrane, produces numbness, slurred speech, and possibly, paralysis or even respiratory failure and death in severe cases. As an isolated pharmacological agent, it is not known to produce the trance-like or "mental slave" state typical of the zombies of Haitian mythology, or of Davis's descriptions.

Personal life

Davis is married. He and his wife, Gail Percy, have lived in several places, sometimes with concurrent residences in Washington, D.C., Vancouver, the Stikine Valley of northern British Columbia, and Bowen Island near Vancouver.[1] They have two adult daughters,[1] Tara and Raina.[2] On April 13, 2018, Davis was granted Colombian nationality and citizenship by President Juan Manuel Santos.[20]

Awards and accolades

Publications

As author

Photography books

As editor

  • Davis, Wade and K. David Harrison (2008) Book of Peoples of the World: A Guide to Cultures, National Geographic, (2nd edition).

Video

  • Earthguide (1991). Cinetel Productions for the Discovery Channel. 13-part documentary on environmental issues. Davis was host and co-writer.
  • "The Spirit of the Mask" (1992). Produced by Gryphon Productions. 1992. Davis was host and co-writer. 1 hour documentary.
  • "Cry of the Forgotten Land" (1993). 1 hour documentary on the Moi people of West Papua, New Guinea. Davis was narrator/co-writer
  • "The Explorer" Life and Times (2002). Produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) DVD by Monarch Films. 1 hour biographical documentary.
  • "Grand Canyon: River at Risk" (2008). 3D IMAX, MacGillivray Freeman Films. Davis was principal character.
  • Peyote to LSD: A Psychedelic Odyssey (2008). Produced in collaboration with Gryphon Productions. Filmed on location in New Mexico, Oaxaca, and lowland Ecuador. Two-hour special for the History Channel-based Davis's books One River (1996) and The Lost Amazon (2004). DVD available, A&E Television Network. Davis was host/co-writer/co-producer.
  • Light at the Edge of the World: Science of the Mind (2007). Directed by Andrew Gregg, produced by Davis and Andrew Gregg for
    National Geographic
    .
  • The Path of the Anaconda (2019). Directed by Alessandro Ángulo Brandestini, the documentary follows Davis as he travels to Colombia with anthropologist Martín von Hildebrand following the footsteps of Richard Evans Schultes.

Media

Wade Davis on Bookbits radio.
  • Davis's research into "Haitian Zombies" was explored in an episode of Science Channel's Dark Matters: Twisted But True.
  • Davis's research into "Haitian Zombies" was mentioned in an episode of CUNY TV's Science Goes to the Movies.[35]
  • Davis's research into "Haitian Zombies" was referenced in the X-Files episode "Fresh Bones," season 2, episode 15.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Though he has degrees including a Ph.D. from the university, Davis was never a staff member at Harvard

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Wade Davis, acclaimed anthropologist and author, joins the University of British Columbia". ubc.ca (Press release). University of British Columbia. December 18, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Wade Davis, Anthropologist/Ethnobotanist: Explorers Council, Explorer-in-Residence, 2000-2013". NationalGeographic.com. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  3. ^ Snow, Sebastian (1977), The Rucksack Man, London: Sphere Books, pp. 199–244
  4. ^ "The Unraveling of America". Rolling Stone. 6 August 2020.
  5. ^ "WADE DAVIS". 19 October 2022.
  6. ^ Keay, John (24 September 2014). "The White Leviathan". Literary Review.
  7. ^ "Exhibition showcases Mount Qomolangma's illustrious history". 28 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Building the Ark: Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Amazon Conservation Association. 2009. p. 24.
  9. ^ Abramowitz, Ben. "Nissan & Zero Emissions". cargocollective.com. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  10. PMID 6668953
    .
  11. ^ a b Hines, Terrence (May–June 2008). "Zombies and Tetrodotoxin". Skeptical Inquirer. 32 (3): 60–62.
  12. ISBN 978-0-8108-7810-5
    .
  13. ^
    PMID 3353722
    .
  14. ^ Davis, Wade (1985). The Serpent and the Rainbow. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 92–95.
  15. ^ Davis, Wade (1988). Passage of Darkness: The Ethnobiology of the Haitian Zombie. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 115–116.
  16. PMID 3419200
    .
  17. PMID 3775790
    .
  18. PMID 2728032
    .
  19. PMID 2339427
    .
  20. ^ "Otorgan la nacionalidad colombiana a Wade Davis, el antropólogo del Amazonas". 12 April 2018.
  21. ^ "The Explorers Club -".
  22. ^ Roy-Sole, Monique. "Gold Medal 2009 Winner - Wade Davis". The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  23. ^ "CBC Massey Lecture Series". CBC.ca. 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  24. ^ "Colorado College | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER-IN-RESIDENCE TO SPEAK AT CC'S 129th COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY". www.coloradocollege.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  25. ^ "Fairchild Award". NTBG.org. National Tropical Botanical Garden. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25.
  26. ^ "Annual Report 2012" (PDF). National Tropical Botanical Garden. 2012. p. 9. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  27. ^ Flood, Alison (November 12, 2012). "Into the Silence author Wade Davis wins Samuel Johnson award". The Guardian. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  28. ^ "Shortlist 2012". boardmantasker.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  29. Vancouver Free Press. Archived from the original
    on November 1, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  30. ^ "2012 Banff Mountain Book Competition – Finalists". banffcentre.ca. The Banff Center. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  31. ^ "Order of Canada Appointments". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  32. ^ "Wade Davis - Distinguished Explorer 2017". Roy Chapman Andrews Society.
  33. ^ "Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration 2017 Recipients - Pat and Baiba Morrow, and Wade Davis". rcgs.org. Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  34. JSTOR 25765894
    .
  35. ^ Shechet Epstein, Sonia (April 7, 2016). "Science Goes to the Movies: Zombies". Scienceandfilm.org. Museum of the Moving Image. Retrieved July 24, 2017.

External links

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