Peoples of the Annamites: Multiple Versions of the Same Place

Dear Friends of Saola,

The Annamite Mountains are a very special place, not least of which because the area’s cultural diversity is as extraordinary as its biological diversity.  Linguistic anthropologist James Chamberlain has been studying the indigenous cultures of Lao for more than 50 years.  In the 1990s, when biologists were discovering new species in the Annamites, such as the Saola, Dr. Chamberlain was describing previously unknown languages and ethnic groups there. He describes the Annamites as “an area of linguistic and cultural mega-diversity”.

Please join us on Saturday, March 19 for a fascinating, live webinar with Dr. Chamberlain, “Peoples of the Annamites: Multiple Versions of the Same Place.”  He will speak to us from his home in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and give us a glimpse into the one of the most linguistically diverse places on Earth, and the relationships these diverse peoples have with the natural world around them.  In fact, most of what we know about Saola has come from local people in the animal’s range, and they are essential partners in its conservation.