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Happy ninth birthday to The Thoughtful Travel Podcast! To celebrate, I've gone back to three of the early guests and interviewed them again to see what's changed in their lives in the intervening years. It was so fun to do! First up, I chat with photographer Kiliii Yuyan, who first appeared way back in Episode 2 in 2016. Since that time, Kiliii has had an incredible career and been able to go on some very special adventures to create stories for National Geographic. I then speak with Kerstin Pilz, from Episode 3, who at the time we first recorded an interview was working through the tremendous grief of losing her husband and having her home and community severely impacted by a cyclone. Fast forward to today and Kerstin's had some impressive career highlights and has set up a new business that combines many of her passions, including travel. Finally, I had the chance to talk again with one of the very first podcast listeners who became a guest, Scott Antcliffe. In our initial conversation, Scott was working as a school teacher, but since then, he's had a huge career shift and yes, it involves more travel, too! Links: Celebrate the podcast's 9th birthday with a T-shirt - https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-thoughtful-travel-podcast Killii Yuyan’s website - https://kiliii.com/ An example of Kiliii’s National Geographic work - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/impact/article/kiliii-yuyan-explorer-story Kerstin Pilz’s book “Loving my lying, dying, cheating husband” - https://amzn.to/422vCdn Kerstin’s Transformational Writing Retreats - https://transformationalwritingretreats.com/ Scott Antcliffe’s website - https://www.scottantcliffephoto.co.uk/ Scott’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scottantcliffephoto/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/343Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Top National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan speaks with the Mongabay Newscast about traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and why Indigenous communities are the world's most effective conservationists. Yüyan spoke about this with us in March 2023 and we're sharing the episode again after it recently won a prize from the Indigenous Media Awards for 'Best coverage of Indigenous communities'; in the audio category. While the National Geographic version of "Guardians of Life" is now published, the collaboration between Gleb Raygorodetsky and Yüyan will be published in book form in 2025. Sign up at Raygorodetsky's website here to be notified when it's out. Like this podcast? Please share it with a friend and help spread the word about the Mongabay Newscast. *Come celebrate Jane Goodall's 90th birthday, and Mongabay's 25th anniversary, during an event hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco (or virtually) by purchasing tickets atthis link. To get $10 off, use the promo code C1PARTNER. * Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website, or download our free app for Apple and Android devices to gain instant access to our latest episodes and all of our previous ones. Image Credit: With a dip net, Karuk fisherman Ryan Reed searches for Chinook salmon under the watchful eye of his father, Ron, on California's Klamath River at Ishi Pishi Falls in October 2020. The Reeds caught no fish in stark contrast to earlier times. Before California became a state, the river saw about 500,000 salmon each fall, but last year just 53,954 mature Chinook swam up, a 90 percent decline. The nation now restricts salmon fishing to Ishi Pishi Falls, but with the slated removal of four dams, the Karuk hope the salmon will return. Image (c) Kiliii Yuyan. Time Codes --- (00:00) Indigenous peoples: the world's best conservationists (02:31) Who are the Guardians of Life? (07:30) Some of Kiliii's favorite memories (10:39) 'People are not separate from nature' (18:04) 'Two-eyed seeing': combining Western and Indigenous science (23:30) Advice from an Indigenous storyteller (27:26) The Impact of storytelling (30:52) A kayak is not a ship (34:02) The Guardians of Life book (39:50) Credits
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear's wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous groups in the Klamath Basin are reviving cultural burning practices that effectively controlled forest fires for centuries. In an episode originally published June 2022, National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan introduces us to people bringing back this cultural practice and teaching the next generation how to use fire. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard. Want more? If you want to hear more from Kiliii, you can also listen to a previous Overheard episode where he shares stories from the many weeks he spent camping on sea ice with Native Alaskan whale hunters. And if you're dying to see his photography, check out his website to see portraits of Indigenous people, Arctic wildlife, and more. Also explore: To learn more about Margo Robbins and her efforts to revive cultural burns, check out our article on the subject. The practice of cultural burning is just one of many subjects that Kiliii and writer Charles Mann covered about the ways Indigenous groups are trying to reclaim sovereignty. Read that cover story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yuyan joins the show to discuss his visits to five Indigenous communities and the value of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) for protecting the world's biodiversity, which is the subject of his new project, "The Guardians of Life: Indigenous Stewards of Living Earth." An effort in collaboration with previous guest Gleb Raygorodetsky and with support from the National Geographic Society and the Amazon Climate Pledge, the project takes Yuyan to five different Indigenous communities across the world. Yuyan shares insights on the TEK of the Indigenous communities he's visited and his own reflections as a person with Indigenous ancestry doing this work, plus what he wishes more journalists would do when sharing the stories and unique knowledge of Indigenous communities. Related reading: Indigenous lands hold the world's healthiest forests – but only when their rights are protected Will the world join Indigenous peoples in relationship with nature at COP-15? (commentary) Podcast: How marine conservation benefits from combining Indigenous knowledge and Western science Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching for @mongabay. Please share your thoughts and feedback! submissions@mongabay.com. Image Caption: Larry Lucas Kaleak listens to the sounds of passing whales and bearded seals through a skinboat paddle in the water. Image (c) Kiliii Yuyan.
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear's wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous groups in the Klamath Basin are reviving cultural burning practices that effectively controlled forest fires for centuries. National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan introduces us to people bringing back this cultural practice and teaching the next generation how to use fire. SHOW NOTES Want more? If you want to hear more from Kiliii, you can also listen to a previous Overheard episode where he shares stories from the many weeks he spent camping on sea ice with Native Alaskan whale hunters. And you're dying to see his photography, check out his website to see portraits of Indigenous people, Arctic wildlife, and more. Also explore To learn more about Margo Robbins and her efforts to revive cultural burns, check out our article on the subject. For subscribers Cultural burns are just one of many stories that Kiliii and writer Charles Mann covered about the ways Indigenous groups are trying to reclaim sovereignty. That's coming out in the July issue of the magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Photographer Kiliii Yuyan illuminates the hidden stories of Polar Regions, wilderness and Indigenous communities. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé (Siberian Native) and Chinese-American, he explores the human relationship to the natural world from different cultural perspectives. Kiliii is an award-winning contributor to National Geographic Magazine and other major publications. Kiliii is based out of Seattle, but can be found across the circumpolar Arctic much of the year. His series, Masks of Grief and Joy is exhibiting in the Main Gallery of the Griffin Museum of Photography, from May 26th - July 9th, 2021 as part of Spirit: Focus on Indigenous Art, Artists and Issues, and online at griffinmuseum.org or kiliii.com.
Every spring Inupiaq hunters camp on the sea ice north of the Arctic Circle, in hopes of capturing a bowhead whale to share with their village. But as global warming accelerates ice melt, it threatens the tribe’s 4,000-year-old tradition. National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yuyan recounts the five years he spent documenting these whale hunters, including one harrowing experience when the sea ice groaned—and then collapsed underneath them. For more information on this episode, visit nationalgeographic.com/overheard. Want more? Learn more about bowhead whales and hear their recordings of their wild sounds. And take a look at our in-depth coverage on the challenges facing polar bears in the Arctic. To see Kiliii’s stunning photography and short film about the Inupiaq people and their whale hunting traditions, Nat Geo subscribers can check them out in an online story, titled “Meet the Bowhead Whale Hunters of Northern Alaska.” You can also follow Kiliii on Instagram where you can see amazing portraits he’s taken of native people, wildlife and kayaks that he built himself.
Kiliii Yüyan is an award-winning Documentary Photographer and contributor to National Geographic Magazine and other major publications. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé and Chinese-American, much of his work explores the human relationship to the natural world from different cultural perspectives. Kiliii is one of PDN's 30 Under 30 Photographers (2019), a National Geographic Explorer, and a member of Indigenous Photograph and Diversify Photo. In addition to being a photographer, Kiliii builds traditional kayaks professionally, has mad primitive survival skills and most of the year can be found working on stories in the circumpolar Arctic. As a creator, working in remote parts of the world often requires building relationships with people who rarely interact with outsiders. Cultural norms you are accustomed to won’t necessarily apply. In this episode, Kiliii shares his experience working in the arctic and offers a number of insights to help you build genuine relationships with collaborators, and ultimately, a better finished project. This is We Are Photographers with Kiliii Yüyan and this is his story.Connect with Kiliii Yüyan: kiliii.com | InstagramAt CreativeLive we believe there is a creator in all of us. If you’re looking to get fresh perspectives, inspiration or skills to boost your hobbies, business or life head over to creativelive.com and check out The Creator Pass, our subscription that gives you anytime on demand access to over 2000 classes taught by the world’s top creators and entrepreneurs.Connect with your CreativeLive community: creativelive.com | IG @creativelive | TW @creativelive | YT @creativelive | FB @creativeliveConnect with your host Kenna Klosterman: IG @kennaklosterman | TW @kennakphotoSubscribe, rate & review We Are Photographers wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts! We’d love to hear from you.
Doing work that's uniquely you. It's vital! But how should you think about the competition? Pricing? What you should push back on (and not push back on) with clients? And more! Join Jared Kessler and Kiliii Yuyan, an award-winning photographer and contributor to National Geographic Magazine, (as well as many other major publications), for creatives having conversations over coffee. Want to find out more about about Kiliii and the work that he does? You can visit his website here: https://kiliii.com/. Or be one of his 180,000 Instagram followers here: https://www.Instagram.com/kiliiiyuyan (@kiliiiyuyan). Want to learn more about Jared Kessler and how to be a guest or sponsor of the show? Please visit https://www.jaredkesslercreative.com/podcast. Or check out behind-the-scenes photos, stories and more on his IG page here: https://www.instagram.com/chcocpodcast/ (@chcocpodcast). --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Photographer Kiliii Yuyan illuminates the hidden stories of polar regions, wilderness and Indigenous communities. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai/Hèzhé (Siberian Native) and Chinese-American, he explores the the human relationship to the natural world from different cultural perspectives. Kiliii is an award-winning contributor to National Geographic Magazine and other major publications. Both wilderness survival skills and empathy have been critical for Kiliii’s projects in extreme environments and cultures outside his own. On assignment, he has fled collapsing sea ice, weathered botulism from fermented whale blood, and found kinship at the edges of the world. In addition, Kiliii builds traditional kayaks and contributes to the revitalization of northern Indigenous culture.
Kiliii Yuyan reveals the hidden stories of polar regions, wilderness and Indigenous communities. Informed by ancestry that is both Nanai (Siberian Native) and Chinese-American, he explores the the human relationship to the natural world from different cultural perspectives. Kiliii is an award-winning contributor to National Geographic Magazine and other major publications. Both wilderness survival skills and empathy have been critical for Kiliii’s projects in extreme environments and cultures outside his own. On assignment, he has fled collapsing sea ice, weathered botulism from fermented whale blood, and found kinship at the edges of the world. In addition, Kiliii builds traditional kayaks and contributes to the revitalization of northern Indigenous culture. Kiliii is a 2020 NiaTero Storytelling fellow, Pulitzer Center grantee, and one of PDN's 30 Emerging Photographers (2019). His work has been exhibited worldwide and received some of photography's top honors. Kiliii's public talks inspire others about photography, Indigenous perspectives and wilderness around the globe. Kiliii is based out of Seattle, but can be found across the circumpolar Arctic much of the year. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/americanfilmmaker/support
Communications Specialist Ethan David Lee speaks with the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival U.S. Honorary Guest Artist Kiliii Yuyan to discuss his work photographing the arctic region and the communities who live there.
In photographer Kiliii Yüyan’s work, he has drawn on both wilderness survival skills and empathy — qualities he deems “critical” for the projects he embarks on in extreme environments and cultures outside his own. “Human cultures are the most complicated things to understand,” he says. “Human culture is so rich. There’s so much to it.” … Continue reading Kiliii Yüyan (Part 2): “Let reality unfold before you” →
In photographer Kiliii Yüyan’s work, he has drawn on both wilderness survival skills and empathy — qualities he deems “critical” for the projects he embarks on in extreme environments and cultures outside his own. “Human cultures are the most complicated things to understand,” he says. “Human culture is so rich. There’s so much to it.” … Continue reading Kiliii Yüyan (Part 2): “Let reality unfold before you” →
Storytelling has always been a part of Kiliii Yüyan’s life. As a young Chinese-American, his earliest stories came from his Nanai grandmother — stories of hunters riding orcas and roaming the seas. Today, a kayak builder, Nia Tero Storytelling Fellow, National Geographic photographer, and sought-after speaker, Yüyan explores the “human relationship to the natural world,” often through … Continue reading Kiliii Yüyan (Part 1): “I never stayed put” →
Storytelling has always been a part of Kiliii Yüyan’s life. As a young Chinese-American, his earliest stories came from his Nanai grandmother — stories of hunters riding orcas and roaming the seas. Today, a kayak builder, Nia Tero Storytelling Fellow, National Geographic photographer, and sought-after speaker, Yüyan explores the “human relationship to the natural world,” … Continue reading Kiliii Yüyan (Part 1): “I never stayed put” →
In Episode 11, Amanda is celebrating the magic of getting lost on our travels. Back in Episode 2 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast she talked about the terror of getting lost, but this time round everyone’s getting lost stories are way less scary and are usually just plain fun. First up in this episode Amanda speaks with Dianne Bortoletto, a Perth-based travel blogger, and they spill the beans on a slightly embarrassing but very funny incident when they both got kind of lost while in Bangkok for a conference. One of Amanda's most popular guests, Kiliii Fish, returns in this episode with yet another fascinating story, this time about his attempts to find an Ecuadorian indigenous basket maker and how he was pretty much lost most of the way. And finally, Joe Baur of the wonderful Without A Path podcast returns with his very sensible idea about intentionally getting lost. Amanda realised while talking to Joe that she's done the same thing herself on occasion and that intentionally going somewhere unknown and without a map or plan can be a great way to explore a new city or country. Links: Dianne Bortoletto of Travelletto http://travelletto.com Kiliii Fish http://www.kiliii.com/ Kiliii on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kiliiifish/ Joe Baur http://joebaur.com Joe’s Without A Path podcast http://withoutapath.com Episode 2: The Terror of Getting Lost https://notaballerina.com/02 Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/11
Episode 4 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast starts the conversation about the thorny issue of cultural stereotypes - and how travelling and meeting people of all different cultures can really help you smash through stereotypes and learn that people really are all the same. The first guest in this episode is Canadian travel blogger turned Peruvian resident Nora Dunn of The Professional Hobo, and she has an interesting tale to tell about meeting some indigenous Australians at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. Nora is followed by another extract from my fabulous chat with Kiliii Fish, who has worked extensively with indigenous people across the world and has so much of interest to say on the subject. Finally, I chatted with Joe Baur of the Without A Path podcast about other stereotypical views people have, particularly when it comes to labelling a country and its people as either safe or dangerous. All of these guests will leave you something to think about, I’m sure! Links: Nora Dunn - The Professional Hobo http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com Nora’s post about visiting me! http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/travel-tips-resources/tales-of-trains-journey-destination/ Dear Nora column https://www.creditwalk.ca/category/dear-nora/ Kiliii Fish http://www.kiliii.com/ Kiliii on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kiliiifish/ Joe Baur http://joebaur.com Without A Path podcast http://withoutapath.com Joe’s recent episode on American stereotypes http://joebaur.com/2016/03/08/travel-stereotypes-what-to-pack/ Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/04
In Episode 2 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, it’s all about those times on your travels when you wind up having no idea where you are, or how to get out of there. Getting lost when we travel is all part of the fun - but then sometimes it’s only fun and interesting in retrospect. In this episode, I start off talking to Leyla of Women on the Road, who has had some truly amazing travel misadventures over the years. Let’s just say that more than one of these incidents involve her being handed a rifle and left to fend for herself! Later in the episode I talk to the delightful Kiliii Fish, a photographer who has also worked on wilderness and survival expeditions in the past, so is probably the perfect person to talk to about getting lost. He has some tips if you find yourself alone at night in a tall, dark forest … although he didn’t follow all these tips himself. Links: Leyla at Women on the Road http://www.women-on-the-road.com Kiliii’s website http://www.kiliii.com/ Kiliii on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kiliiifish/ Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/02
Kiliii Fish is an indigenous photographer and adventurer who specializes in indigenous peoples and global wilderness conservation. He formerly guided survival expeditions and continues to teach the traditional skill of Native kayak-building. He works on documentary projects that tell the stories of people and wilderness alongside commercial imagery that makes adventure accessible. Kiliii’s award-winning work has been featured among others, by Communication Arts and The Annenberg Space for Photography. He is a public speaker on issues of wilderness and Native peoples, and recently spoke at PIX2015. His clients include REI and the Nature Conservancy; he is currently at work on two multi-year projects for National Geographic Magazine. Kiliii spends the majority of his time in the Arctic or near the ocean and is on the road ten months a year photographing at the edges of our world. Resources: Kiliii Fish () Erika Larsen () Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download for . Click here to download Click here to download for Support the work we do at The Candid Frame with your donations via PayPal. https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=O5qY510hbin-YgE9gTFh47ikkTRAUOjRW8SWuCcAd8GBRPJqUC9_RrGVIVG&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d64ad11bbf4d2a5a1a0d303a50933f9b2