How geology built civilisation | with Anjana Khatwa | Part 2
Did ancient Hawaiians map their volcanic islands through mythology — centuries before geologists figured out hotspot volcanism? Earth scientist Anjana Khatwa makes the case. ▶ Missed Part 1? Watch it here: https://youtu.be/LpuMY_zTmCE
Filmed at the Ri on 26th April 2026.
In Part 2, Anjana continues her breathtaking journey through deep time — from the goddess Pele's flight across the Hawaiian archipelago (an oral map hiding in plain sight) to the sacred green pounamu of Aotearoa New Zealand, the stolen Black Hills of the Lakota nation, and the slate quarries of North Wales whose wealth was built on enslaved labour. She ends with a question: if we don't understand the value of rocks, how can we ever protect them?
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
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? Get Anjana's book — The Whispers of Rock: Stories from the Earth:
https://geni.us/sFqMOb
(Longlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Winifred Holtby Prize)
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Anjana Khatwa is an award-winning earth scientist, presenter and writer who has worked for several universities, the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and the National Trust.
She has been given the Geographical Award for public engagement by the Royal Geographical Society, the RH Worth Award by the Geological Society of London and the Halstead Medal from the Geologists' Association.
Anjana lives with her family in Dorset in a house filled with rocks and fossils collected from all over the world. The Whispers of Rock is her first book.
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Chapters:
0:00 Hawaii — hotspot volcanism explained
1:11 The goddess Pele: an oral history map
4:20 Why the myth predates the science
5:11 Aotearoa New Zealand and pounamu
6:30 The sacred green rock of the Māori
7:07 The story of Poutini and Waitiki
9:33 Pounamu and the All Blacks
11:24 Extraction and exploitation — a harder story
11:33 The Black Hills of South Dakota
12:28 Paha Sappa — the heart of everything that is
14:57 Gold, broken treaties and Mount Rushmore
17:05 Britain's lost connection to landscape
18:26 Penrhyn Quarry and Welsh slate
19:15 The Pennant family and the slavery connection
22:10 Do we really understand the value of rocks?
23:21 The limestone mountain being destroyed for cement
28:04 A personal reading from The Whispers of Rock
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The Royal Institution is a world-leading science education charity with a 200-year history of bringing the public face-to-face with leading scientists. Support us: https://www.rigb.org/support-us
#Geology #IndigenousWisdom #Maori #Lakota #EarthScience #RoyalInstitution
The Ri is on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: https://www.rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
Filmed at the Ri on 26th April 2026.
In Part 2, Anjana continues her breathtaking journey through deep time — from the goddess Pele's flight across the Hawaiian archipelago (an oral map hiding in plain sight) to the sacred green pounamu of Aotearoa New Zealand, the stolen Black Hills of the Lakota nation, and the slate quarries of North Wales whose wealth was built on enslaved labour. She ends with a question: if we don't understand the value of rocks, how can we ever protect them?
--
Become a channel member to unlock exclusive content and early acces:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYeF244yNGuFefuFKqxIAXw/join
Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
--
? Get Anjana's book — The Whispers of Rock: Stories from the Earth:
https://geni.us/sFqMOb
(Longlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Winifred Holtby Prize)
—
Anjana Khatwa is an award-winning earth scientist, presenter and writer who has worked for several universities, the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site and the National Trust.
She has been given the Geographical Award for public engagement by the Royal Geographical Society, the RH Worth Award by the Geological Society of London and the Halstead Medal from the Geologists' Association.
Anjana lives with her family in Dorset in a house filled with rocks and fossils collected from all over the world. The Whispers of Rock is her first book.
—
Chapters:
0:00 Hawaii — hotspot volcanism explained
1:11 The goddess Pele: an oral history map
4:20 Why the myth predates the science
5:11 Aotearoa New Zealand and pounamu
6:30 The sacred green rock of the Māori
7:07 The story of Poutini and Waitiki
9:33 Pounamu and the All Blacks
11:24 Extraction and exploitation — a harder story
11:33 The Black Hills of South Dakota
12:28 Paha Sappa — the heart of everything that is
14:57 Gold, broken treaties and Mount Rushmore
17:05 Britain's lost connection to landscape
18:26 Penrhyn Quarry and Welsh slate
19:15 The Pennant family and the slavery connection
22:10 Do we really understand the value of rocks?
23:21 The limestone mountain being destroyed for cement
28:04 A personal reading from The Whispers of Rock
—
The Royal Institution is a world-leading science education charity with a 200-year history of bringing the public face-to-face with leading scientists. Support us: https://www.rigb.org/support-us
#Geology #IndigenousWisdom #Maori #Lakota #EarthScience #RoyalInstitution
The Ri is on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ri-science-podcast
Donate to the RI and help us bring you more lectures: https://www.rigb.org/support-us/donate-ri
Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
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