Bozeman Library

Dr. Jon Turk earned a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1971 and was nominated by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten Adventurers of the Year in 2012.  Between these bookends, Jon co-authored the first environmental science textbook in North America, followed by 35 additional texts.  At the same time, he kayaked around Cape Horn, across the North Pacific, and around Ellesmere Island.  He has mountain biked across the Gobi in Mongolia and made first ski descents and first rock climbing ascents around the globe.  In Siberia, Jon’s worldview was altered by Moolynaut, a Siberian shaman, and his later books reflect these spiritual journeys.

This program is brought to you by the Montana Library Network. Watch on your own by joining on zoom. Register to attend here: https://tinyurl.com/jonturkMT

On my first day in first grade, I dropped out of line, lay down on the floor, and started crying. Intuitively, I understood that school would steal something from me, that I didn’t want to lose. 

I got up, did well, eventually earned a Ph.D. in chemistry, and became successful in this oil-soaked, internet-crazed, consumer-oriented world.

Then I wandered off in my kayak and paddled to a remote Siberian village. I stood naked, on one leg, in front of a Koryak elder, Moolynaut and together we flew to the Other World, to talk with Kutcha the Raven.

Back home, I learned that our ancestors developed mythology, art, music, and dance before they invented sophisticated tools and weaponry. Spirit journeys in the Serpent Cave were more critical to human survival than the bow and arrow. 

A Siberian elder once told me: If you lose the magic in your life, you lose your power.

But we’ve hijacked the meaning of power in the modern world. So, let’s step out of line again, shed tears, and talk about what we have lost and what we don’t want to lose.