Scientists, Historians, and Explorers

I have never considered myself a scientist or a historian. I do remember fondly taking a class in Anthropology as an elective in college. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, majoring in that subject was tantamount to not being able to find a job. So, it was one course and done. In fact, science and history were always subjects I enjoyed. Today, as I read the publications of The Explorers Club, all the articles are about explorers either pushing the boundaries of science or they are understanding the impact of climate change on our world or they are uncovering mysteries of the oceans and seas, caves holding clues to geographical histories or pushing the boundaries of knowledge by exploring outer space.

I am an Indigenous Ethnographer. I study indigenous cultures. Cultures predominantly from the southwestern United States to the Pacific Northwest and on to Alaska, the far northern Canadian provinces ending in Nunavut and Greenland. Bound together by common language roots, these tribes are my focus. I’ve never had formal training other than an introductory course here or there. I read a lot. I come up with theories and then through research, I try to validate them. I take to the field to gain the firsthand knowledge to either prove or correct those theories.  I am one of the few members of the club that study or work in this field of exploration.

 

While I am well past my prime, I still have the drive to explore these cultures. Today’s scientists utilize their education by obtaining post-graduate degrees and then augment that with field research. The club fosters that spirit. Those that are members, are what the articles in The Log and The Journal, publications of the Explorers Club, report on and document. As I read about their work and discoveries, I am fascinated by the breadth of science these explorers live and work in. In my local chapter alone, there are members that are cavers, underwater film makers, research and preservation of big cat environments within the southwest and northern Mexico, and there are explorers that are the first to navigate rivers and ocean areas never before explored.

My working career was in business. It consisted of working for either large computer companies or working in commercial real estate. I always wondered what I would do when I retired. I know now.