The speaker’s archaeological research in Peru reveals that the Moche incorporated Algarrobo trees into human-sacrifice rituals, possibly viewing the tree as an ancestor. Linguistic evidence, myth, and burial patterns suggest deep spiritual ties between people, trees, and memory. The work challenges modern assumptions and reconstructs ancient worldviews.

This research examines the cultural practice of burying umbilical cords in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region shaped by conflict and ecological crisis. Unlike Western views that treat the cord as waste, local traditions see land as a living repository of memory and identity, reframing human–land relationships as reciprocal and deeply interconnected.