The power of ancient mythological tales

Political and environmental pressures have threatened the stability of many of the world’s indigenous cultures in recent decades. Ancient sources of wisdom, primarily held through oral traditions, are vanishing. The goal of the Global Voice Foundation is to share these valuable insights of cultural sustainability with our children.

Global Voice operates as a 501(c)3, private operating foundation in order to support our activities and mission. To date, Global Voice has provided sustainable gifts totaling more than $200,000 to the indigenous communities we have worked with.

Global Voice produces documentaries, writes, and publishes books. Dr. Lewis has conducted more than 40 lectures for children and adults. We explore cultural myths to understand how stories hold a society together. There is tremendous value for children to understand and learn from people of different cultures, and Global Voice believes the values and lessons contained in these stories can make a real difference for our children, especially in today’s technology-driven society.

Global Voice’s Executive Director, Dr. I. Murphy Lewis has spent 22 years documenting the cultural wisdom of indigenous people with an emphasis on the San Bushmen and Maasai Warrior communities in Africa. Author and illustrator of the book, Why Ostriches Don’t Fly, and Other Tales From the African Bush, she continues to research, document, and communicate their wisdom, as well as other sources of indigenous wisdom around the globe.

Between 1993 and 2001, Dr. Lewis was Vice President, Director of Sales for Badgley Mischka, Vice President, Director of Sales for Halston Signature Collection and Director of Sales for Bergdorf Goodman, Mary McFadden, and Leonard of Paris. An early trip to South Africa changed her life and laid the groundwork for her founding the Global Voice Foundation in 2001.

Dr. Lewis holds a Masters and Doctorate degree in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute, a BFA from the University of Kansas, and an Associate Degree in Fashion from Parson’s School of Design.