Explores the lifestyle of indigenous peoples of the world who exist in complete harmony with the natural world and with each other. * Reveals a model of a society built on trust, patience, and joy rather than anxiety, hurry, and acquisition. * Shows how we can reconnect with the ancient intuitive awareness of the world's original people. * Foreword by Thom Hartmann, bestselling author of The Greatest Spiritual Secret of the Century.
Deep in the mountainous jungle of Malaysia the aboriginal Sng'oi exist on the edge of extinction, though their way of living may ultimately be the kind of existence that will allow us all to survive. The Sng'oi--pre-industrial, pre-agricultural, semi-nomadic--live without cars or cell phones, without clocks or schedules in a lush green place where worry and hurry, competition and suspicion are not known. Yet these indigenous people--as do many other aboriginal groups--possess an acute and uncanny sense of the energies, emotions, and intentions of their place and the living beings who populate it, and trustingly follow this intuition, using it to make decisions about their actions each day.
Psychologist Robert Wolff lived with the Sng'oi, learned their language, shared their food, slept in their huts, and came to love and admire these people who respect silence, trust time to reveal and heal, and live entirely in the present with a sense of joy. Even more, he came to recognize the depth of our alienation from these basic qualities of life. Much more than a document of a disappearing people, Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing holds a mirror to our own existence, allowing us to see how far we have wandered from the ways of the intuitive and trusting Sng'oi, and challenges us, in our fragmented world, to rediscover this humanity within ourselves.
The most trenchant wisdom can be found in some of the most primitive people on earth, as Robert Wolff demonstrates in Original Wisdom. Wolff, once a government psychologist in Malaysia, fell in love with a stone age people called the "Sng'oi," a people who "had no neuroses, no fears ... had an immense inner dignity, were happy and content, and did not want anything." But he was mystified by their seemingly superhuman powers of knowing. Finally, in an experience of what he calls "oneness," ordinary distinctions dropped away, and he learned that there was a way of knowing beyond thinking. Wolff also describes his encounters in Suriname, Indonesia, and the Pacific islands, demonstrating that far from being "primitive," original tribal societies are the last bastions of true humanity. Wary of both anthropologists and shaman wannabes, Wolff follows a middle path of down-to-earth storytelling, making Original Wisdom an original find. --Brian Bruya

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Extraordinary experiences with extraordinary humans:

The Senoi aboriginals of Peninsular Malaysia are shy, nonviolent tribal people who rely on oral history among their tribes to pass on ancestral wisdom. Despite worldwide changes going on around them, the Senoi are described as the most peaceful people on the planet and extremely dedicated to preserving their traditions and survival methods orally. They are a subgroup of Malaysia's Orang Asli people (translated as "the Ancient Ones," because they are believed to have lived on the peninsula since ancient... more info

The personal account of a white man living and learning from aborigines.:

A series of short stories which stand on their own and nevertheless are interconnected about the author's personal experiences with the Malay people on the one hand and the aboriginal people of the island on the other. They illustrate the essence of being human, of being part of all-that-is (contrasting it sharply with an anthropocentric world view). It is very interesting because (1) the author talks about his personal experiences and not about non proven hypothesis (2) it shows clearly the workings and... more info

Great read if you want to make change in this world:

This book definitely expanded my sense of awareness of the world. There are times in it where I was a little skeptical, but when I took a step back, I realized what he was saying. If you're into anthropology, I would highly suggest it. Some people that may not have an open mind to it probably won't be too interested, but he really drives home what makes us all human and that 'less developed' cultures don't have half the problems we do.
Everyone I lent it to so far has been very into it.

Excellent Read!:

I really loved this book. Those of you who have read Eckhart Tolle and enjoyed it would definitely like this book. Wolff's description of the surviving ancient cultures, how they live, work, learn, take care of each other, etc, was a great lesson to me. I also really enjoyed how Wolff describes feeling more connected to everything after spending time among "The People." I have always felt a connection to living things around me, but this book is helping me deepen that connection by simply being more aware... more info

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