FINDING OUR WAY

A Polynesian Explorer's Journey of Discovery

- PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN

DR. ELIZABETH KAPU'UWAILANI LINDSEY, the first Polynesian Explorer and female Fellow of the National Geographic Society, speaks with PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN about her lifelong journey of cultural exploration and the profound lessons she has learned from Indigenous communities worldwide. Sharing insights from her encounters with Polynesian navigators, sea nomads, and spiritual leaders, Dr. Lindsey emphasizes the importance of heart-centered wisdom, storytelling, and inner exploration in navigating our rapidly changing world.

Q: You are an anthropologist and National Geographic's first woman Polynesian explorer. Please tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that sparked your passion for exploration and cultural understanding.

Purnima, thank you so much for asking me to be a part of this interview. I appreciate it.

The most pivotal moment was very early in my life. My parents were both educators at a nearby university and were very careful about the women who cared for my two younger sisters and me.

These three old Hawaiian women were incredibly wise and spiritual.

That was the beginning of what would become a lifelong journey for me. They were spiritual, and my parents were also the same. My father was a great leader in our community, and immensely humble. So that was the foundation upon which I was raised. Those early years instilled in me a deep love for people.

When I was seven years old, the women who cared for me predicted that I would travel to many parts of the world. They said, "Someday the world will be in trouble, and it will take the wisdom from the far edges of the Earth to return to balance. You always have agency and choice, but we see that your life will involve great travel to keep the voices of these cultures alive because the world will need their wisdom." And so began my journey.