Abstract

While it is indisputable that the Earth’s physical resources are being depleted, distinct cultural practices are also being eroded by forces of development and homogenization. The central question addressed in this book is how to sustain cultural practices that are still active today but are, nevertheless, vulnerable. This is a time when many unique cultures are threatened; practitioners of rare arts are aging, young people are being integrated into larger communities, languages are disappearing, and cultural memories are being lost. Sadly, once the integrity of cultural knowledge is lost, it can never be fully restored. These articles embody dynamic contemporary efforts to sustain ongoing, and therefore, ever-changing cultural practices, not merely closed histories of past events. The lessons learned in these pages can be passed on to future generations to nourish living cultures.