Lost Cultures: Living Legacies

Latest Episodes:

The Māori: The First People of Aotearoa (New Zealand) Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

In the Season 2 finale of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, host Alisha Prakash delves into the history and traditions of the Māori, the first people of Aotearoa (New Zealand). Centuries ago, their ancestors crossed the Pacific in waka, or canoes, navigating by stars, bird migrations, and ocean swells. Their arrival marked the beginning of a cultural legacy rooted in kinship with the land and sea and guided by a deep spiritual connection to the natural world. We’re joined by two Māori cultural leaders who share how they carry this legacy forward through their work and lived experience. Rawiri Edward Manawatu, from the South Island town of Kaikōura, helps his iwi (tribe) stay connected to their ancestral homeland through community-led development. Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, a master navigator, is reviving the sacred art of traditional Polynesian voyaging. Through their stories, we explore Māori oral histories, spiritual beliefs, social structures, and the lasting effects of colonization, along with powerful efforts to reclaim and revitalize culture. The conversation also highlights ways visitors can connect meaningfully with Māori life today, from sacred coastal landscapes to world-class museums and immersive cultural tours.

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The Narragansett: Bridging the Past With the Future Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, host Alisha Prakash speaks with three members of the Narragansett community—Lorén Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum, and Dawn and Cassius Spears, founders of Ashawaug Farm—whose ancestral homelands are in present-day Rhode Island. The conversation delves into the preservation and legacy of Narragansett cultural traditions, examining pivotal historical events such as the Great Swamp Massacre of 1675 and the enduring struggle for sovereignty and representation. It also highlights the essential role of museums, education, oral history, and food sovereignty in preserving Indigenous language, knowledge, and cultural heritage, and in ensuring these traditions continue to empower future generations. The guests also share what to know and see when visiting Rhode Island to learn more about the Narragansett people's past and present.

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Encore: The Tongva: A Lasting Influence on Los Angeles Jun 25, 2025

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Los Angeles today is an influencer on the global stage, thanks to its most well-known industry, Hollywood. And its very name hints at the earlier influence of colonizers from Spain and Mexico in the area. But who were the original influencers of the L.A. Basin? And how did this Indigenous culture help shape the way Angelenos and tourists experience the area today? Guests Kimberly Morales Johnson and Desireé Martinez, both members of the Gabrielino-Tongva community, guide us through the history of their people and tell us about the efforts to reestablish and revitalize their culture after past endeavors have attempted to limit and even erase it. They also share how visitors can interact with their history and culture in a responsible way.

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The Sámi: A Story of Resilience Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

In this moving and deeply personal episode of "Lost Cultures: Living Legacies", host Alisha Prakash takes listeners to the Arctic homeland of the Sámi people, the Indigenous communities of Sápmi, a vast region spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland, and northwest Russia. We speak with three Sámi voices from Norway: renowned musician Mari Boine, professor of sociology Astri Dankertsen, and reindeer herder and cultural guide Jon Mikkel Eirá. Together, they share how Sámi traditions like joiking, reindeer herding, and land stewardship continue to adapt and thrive despite generations of cultural suppression. Their stories trace how songs once banned by missionaries now resound on global stages, how ancient herding practices have merged with modern technology, and how Sámi knowledge speaks urgently to the challenges of climate change. They also offer thoughtful guidance on how visitors can meaningfully connect with Sámi culture today.

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Encore: The Rapa Nui: The Actual Name of Easter Island and its People Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

You’ve likely heard of “Easter Island” and the giant stone statues that famously reside there, confounding people who can’t understand how people could have made and moved them so long in the past. But did you know that the island and the people that live here are actually called Rapa Nui? Or that the artistry and engineering of those statues are a key reason that the people there were able to survive on such a remote island with limited resources? Filmmaker and member of the Rapa Nui community Sergio Mata’u Rapu and Professor Carl Lipo share the history and culture of the Rapa Nui and how the people living there today – or in the far flung diaspora – still rely on the lessons of their ancestors today.

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Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta: “Carrying Our Heritage in Our Hearts” Jun 04, 2025

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Explore the rich history of Calcutta's Baghdadi Jewish community with host Alisha Prakash. Rahel Musleah, a journalist, educator, and singer who leads tours through her company Explore Jewish India, shares accounts of her family’s deep roots in Calcutta and the customs preserved by the diaspora. Jael Silliman, a writer and scholar, offers a broader view of the Baghdadi Jewish experience, drawing from her own family history and her ongoing efforts to document and protect the group’s legacy. We learn how these families built thriving networks, traded across Asia, and integrated into Indian society while maintaining their distinct religious and cultural identity.

You can find us online at travelandleisure.com/lostcultures

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The Kānaka Maoli of Hawai‘i: Rooted in Aloha May 28, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, we journey to the Hawaiian islands to explore the deep roots and living traditions of Kānaka Maoli, the Native Hawaiian people. Our guests, all Kānaka Maoli, include Dr. Uluwehi Hopkins, a professor of Hawaiian and world history, Evan Mokuahi Hayes, a cultural practitioner and founder of Detour Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Tour Co., and Hokulani Holt Padilla, a renowned kumu hula. Together, they lead us through Hawai‘i’s layered past, from Polynesian voyaging and the rise of the Hawaiian Kingdom to colonization, statehood, and the islands’ vibrant cultural renaissance. Through their lived experiences and ancestral knowledge, they reveal how Hawaiians continue to reclaim, protect, and celebrate their heritage. They also share thoughtful insight on how visitors can engage with the islands in a respectful and meaningful way.

You can find us online at travelandleisure.com/lostcultures

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Bermuda: The Crossroads of the Atlantic May 21, 2025

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On the Season 2 debut of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, we travel to Bermuda, an Atlantic island whose history spans centuries and continents. Once uninhabited, Bermuda became a vital stop in transatlantic trade, a maritime stronghold, and a cultural crossroads shaped by African, European, Caribbean, and Native American influences. Guests Dr. Kristy Warren and Dr. Edward Harris trace its transformation from an uninhabited island to a strategic outpost shaped by shipwrecks, colonization, the transatlantic slave trade, and the rise and fall of empires. Plus, former Director of Tourism Gary Phillips shares the story of the Gombey tradition, a vibrant performance art rooted in resistance, migration, and cultural fusion. Together, they reveal how Bermuda’s layered past continues to shape its people, culture, and identity today.

You can also find us online at ⁠travelandleisure.com/lostcultures

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Season 2: Launching May 21, 2025 May 14, 2025

Show notes

What can we discover about a place by exploring the histories of those who once lived there–and those who live there still ? In what ways do cultures build upon each other as populations come and go? How do they complement each other, interact, and leave their marks on the people that come after them? And are cultures truly ever lost, even if the people move on or evolve and adapt? Lost Cultures: Living Legacies—the award-winning podcast from Travel + Leisure—returns for Season 2 on Wednesday, May 21! This season, we’re diving into the stories of vibrant communities around the globe, including the Kānaka Maoli of Hawai‘i, the Sámi of Norway, the Baghdadi Jewish community of India, and more. Join us as we kick off the season with an episode about Bermuda - an island with a deep cultural heritage and rich history. Be sure to follow us wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

You can also find us online at ⁠travelandleisure.com/lostcultures

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Cajuns & Creoles: The Stunningly Adaptive People of South Louisiana Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Cadie. Acadie. Acadian. Cajun. Acadiana. These words are part of the history and culture that developed in south Louisiana over the course of the last three centuries. They're an integral part of telling their story — but they can't do it alone. Combining elements from various peoples who traveled from several continents, this mix of cultures is so unique, even a gumbo metaphor isn't complex enough to describe it. Professor Barry Ancelet, musician Louis Michot, and entrepreneur Marie Dacote-Comeaux guide us through the distinctive fusion of tradition and history of the Cajun and Creole people of south Louisiana — and explain how recent efforts have helped to revitalize and popularize their culture, largely in response to concerted efforts to suppress it for several decades before.

Alisha Prakash - Host / Associate Editorial Director, Travel + Leisure
Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer
Jeremiah McVay - Writer, Producer, & Audio Editor
Dominique Arciero - Audio Engineer
Stacey Leasca - Researcher
Kyle Avallone - Fact-checker
Reviewed by Bryan A'Hearn - Panelist, Dotdash Meredith’s Anti-Bias Review Board.
Thanks to Mackenzie Price - Director of Anti-Bias Initiatives.
Jennifer Del Sole - Director for Audio Growth Strategy & Operations
Nina Ruggiero - Digital Editorial Director, Travel + Leisure
Maya Kachroo-Levine - Luxury and Experiences Editor, Travel + Leisure.

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