Elizabeth Kapu’uwailani Lindsey, Ph. D., is the first female National Geographic Fellow. An award-winning filmmaker and anthropologist, she is also the first Polynesian explorer at the National Geographic Society. A descendant of Hawaiian high chiefs, English seafarers and Chinese immigrants, Lindsey was raised by native Hawaiian elders who prophesied her role as a steward of ancestral wisdom. Her commitment to the conservation of vanishing indigenous knowledge and tradition not only provides a cultural record for present and future generations, but also serves as the foundation for a global, digital repository, an initiative which she is spearheading at the National Geographic Society.
Lindsey’s expeditions take her to some of the most remote regions of the world. She recently returned from Satawal, Micronesia where she recorded the nearly lost traditions of the palu, Micronesian non-instrument navigators. Lindsey, who earned her doctorate with a specialization in ethnonavigation, was mentored for over a decade by master navigator Pius “Mau” Piailug who is considered the greatest wayfinder in the world.
The Executive Producer of “Passages”, a multi-part television series for PBS in partnership with the National Geographic Society, Dr. Lindsey’s expeditions will include Okinawa, New Zealand, Bhutan, India and Norway. Her documentary film, “Then There Were None”, which chronicles the near extinction of native Hawaiians, is considered a Hawaiian history classic and has received numerous awards including the prestigious CINE Eagle.