Maureen Korp, PhD
University of Ottawa
PS: My students this past term also found the series problematic.
[ I watched the first hour of the two-hour program tonight (and plan to watch
the second hour, which I taped, soon). If I may be forgiven, I found that
the program had a bit of the flavor of the Carl Sagan "Cosmos" series that
aired a little over a decade ago. It seemed as much an attempt at an
adventure program as a description of how indigenous people live. Perhaps
later programs have a different flavor. There was clearly some political
intrigue involved, but I found it was never made entirely clear just what
the issues were, though I could draw my own inferences from what was pre-
sented. I have met Dr. Maybury-Lewis, and respect him and his wife Pia
and what Cultural Survival is doing and what they stand for, but I know
there has been some controversy swirling around what they're doing and
how they're doing it. Perhaps we can have an all-out discussion on this
subject one of these days.
I know it seems a bit unfair, but I'd like to ask that others who have seen
the program hold on to your comments for another week (the next two-hour
program airs on most PBS stations next Monday at 9PM). Thanks. --Gary ]