Free 2026 Book Launch w/ Nat Geo Photographer Kiliii Yüyan (Corte Madera)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Headshot of Kiliii Yuyan by Yugu Ningeok

 Event Oct 2 with Nat Geo Photographer and Author Kiliii Yüyan at Books Passage Corte Madera

On October 2, National Geographic photographer and explorer Kiliii Yüyan will be giving a multimedia author presentation based his book Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet which launched April 2026 from Braided River, the conservation imprint of Mountaineers Books.

Here is the link to the event: https://bookpassage.com/event/kiliii-yuyan-guardians-life 

Here is a TEDX talk on the project, a TV spot on the book launch, and the book’s Press Release.

Please see below for more details about Kiliii and the book: 

About the book: 

Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet 

There is a critical yet underrecognized role that Indigenous peoples around the world have played—and continue to play—in sustaining biological and cultural diversity. As the biodiversity and climate crises converge, the time to support Indigenous leadership is now. This rich, in-depth, storytelling initiative is based on growing global recognition of the critical role Indigenous peoples play in sustaining biological and cultural diversity, as well as adapting to and abating climate change. 

This book, Guardians of Life, is based on the work of award-winning National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan, and will take readers on a transformative journey to places and people living in relationship with their ancestral homelands. Vivid portraits of Indigenous men and women, youth and elders, hunters and farmers, spiritual leaders and craftsmen will reveal their ways of knowing and taking care of the land. These are concepts and skills that have been taught for generations and are based on a foundational veneration for life—which is at the heart of caring for a living planet. This reflects a holistic and broad approach to sustainability, including language, art, and ceremony as ways to maintain human-environment relations. 

These place-based stories and imagery are complemented by an introduction by Gwich’in supermodel and activist Quannah Chasinghorse. Essay contributions come from award-winning writer Charles C. Mann, author of 1491, and award winning author, Indigenous peoples’ ally, and National Geographic Explorer, Gleb Raygorodetsky. This book upholds the inherent sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples to care for their ancestral lands and waters, and seeks to build a movement that would broadly benefit and sustain life on planet Earth for all.

Photography by Kiliii Yüyan

Essays by Charles C. Mann and Gleb Raygorodetsky

Foreword by Quannah Chasinghorse

About Kiliii: 

KILIII YÜYAN: Photographer and National Geographic Explorer Kiliii Yüyan brings to life stories from the Arctic sea ice, beneath the waves, and within the heart of human communities. Of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé (East Asian Indigenous) descent, he works through a cross-cultural lens, exploring how humanity lives in relationship with land and sea. His photography and storytelling appear in National Geographic, TIME, Vogue, WIRED, and other major publications. In 2023, Kiliii was honored with the Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling, one of National Geographic’s highest recognitions. His work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year, Leica Oscar-Barnack, PDN, and ASMP, and is held in museum collections across the U.S. Kiliii has taken the stage at TEDx, toured with NatGeo Live, and now keynotes through Changemaker Talent, sharing the human stories behind his images. 

About Kiliii’s Presentations: 

When we think of environmental conservation, we tend to think in terms of emerging technologies and increased data tracking. While technology is one piece of the puzzle, we are also called to look back and take stock of information that has existed since time immemorial. In Indigenous communities, knowledge of the environment and how to protect it has been acquired over countless generations. In Guardians of Life, Kiliii Yüyan presents a photographic journey that reveals Indigenous communities to be Earth’s most powerful protectors.

Without leaving one’s seat, Yüyan’s photographs transport us to the most stunning locations up close and personal. We witness environments of the utmost ecological importance, but which presently sit in a place of precarity. Through artfully crafted photography and meaningful collaboration, Yüyan shows the reader how ancient Indigenous wisdom and new technology come together to drive the cutting-edge of environmental conservation. Guardians of Life takes us all over the world, from the coral reefs in Palau, to Mongolia’s steppes, to the Amazon rainforest, even to beds of sea ice in Greenland.

About the Publisher: 

BRAIDED RIVER: Guardians of Life is published under the Braided River imprint of Mountaineers Books, which publishes photo-driven conservation books that are the foundation for creative communication campaigns with tangible public policy goals. Braided River defends wild places by bringing evocative and inspirational images and stories to an ever-growing audience of environmental protectors. www.braidedriver.org

MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS: An independent, nonprofit publisher based in Seattle, Mountaineers Books has crafted award-winning books on outdoor recreation, sustainable lifestyle, and conservation since 1960 with the publication of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, now in its 10th edition. Including imprints Skipstone and Braided River, the press has more than 700 books in print and/or e-book. New titles out this season include Alaska Literary Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry, The Bird with Flaming Red Feet by Maria Mudd Ruth, Mason Bee Revolution, 2nd Edition by Dave Hunter and Jill Lightner, and more. www.mountaineersbooks.org 

Thank you,

Elena 

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.