Lost Cultures: Living Legacies

The Māori: The First People of Aotearoa (New Zealand)

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 Zeala

The Narragansett: Bridging the Past With the Future

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

Encore: The Tongva: A Lasting Influence on Los Angeles

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

The Sámi: A Story of Resilience

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 Indigen

Encore: The Rapa Nui: The Actual Name of Easter Island and its People

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 move

Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta: “Carrying Our Heritage in Our Hearts”

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 c

The Kānaka Maoli of Hawai‘i: Rooted in Aloha

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

Bermuda: The Crossroads of the Atlantic

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

Season 2: Launching May 21, 2025

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 othe

Cajuns & Creoles: The Stunningly Adaptive People of South Louisiana

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. Th

The Taino: A Constantly Evolving Caribbean Identity

When researcher Jorge Estevez visited the Smithsonian as a boy, he saw a sign that stated his people had “disappeared” four centuries before. How did this claim become co

The Nubians of Egypt: Preserving a Lost Homeland

How is it that people belonging to one of the oldest civilizations in the world have lost so much of their ancestral homeland? What steps must they take to preserve their

The Rapa Nui: The Actual Name of Easter Island and its People

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 move

Encore: The Undiscovered Story of NYC's Lower East Side

New York City’s Lower East Side has been home to many communities, from the Lenape to Dutch and English colonizers to an influx of groups from Europe, China, Puerto Rico,

The Picts: The Mysterious Painted People of Scotland

Of all the cultures covered on this podcast, why did the Picts come closest to actually being lost? How did these "painted people" from what is now known as Scotland larg

Aboriginal Peoples: On Australia for Many Millennia and Looking to the Future

Australia is a far-away destination for travelers based in most other parts of the world. Its remoteness has bred unique wildlife and, among its people, an archetypal abi

The Tongva: A Lasting Influence on Los Angeles

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

The Ainu: A Culture Too Strong for Japan to Erase

The popular image of Japan is often the modern metropolis of Tokyo or its feudal history, samurai and all. But there’s also a culture you may not know about. It predates

The Maya: Truth and Lore in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula

Many people think of the Maya as existing mainly – perhaps even solely – in the historical record, far in the past from our modern day. But that couldn’t be further from

The Undiscovered Story of NYC's Lower East Side

New York City’s Lower East Side has been home to many communities, from the Lenape to Dutch and English colonizers to an influx of groups from Europe, China, Puerto Rico,