Elusive Truths

Some truths are inescapable. Others are harder to find.

In the winter 2020 issue of Hidden Compass, we bring you journeys of the second kind. Join us for tales of elusive truths.

We begin with a Time Travel story set on a tiny island with a remarkable history and a bleak future. In this written feature, Shoshi Parks introduces us to an American community whose home is being swallowed by one of the fastest rising bodies of water in the world. As the debate behind the cause of the island’s demise rages, Parks contemplates how The End of Tangier bodes for the rest of us.

In our photo feature, Dr. Gilad Fiskus brings us another striking Portrait of a way of life. As the Omo River winds from the Ethiopian highlands toward Lake Turkana on the Kenyan border, the tribes of the lower Omo Valley preserve their customs. But everything is changing, and the march of modernity leaves us wondering: How long will The Rituals Remain?

For James Dorsey, the Quest for truth takes him to the cliff-side communities of Southern Mali’s Dogon people, the Children of the Dog Star. Here, Dorsey’s Dogon companion challenges preconceptions of fact and legend, and reveals astronomical wisdom that may have been born thousands of years before it was verified by Western science.

In the dramatic landscapes of California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada, Jordan Ranft explores a deadly tradeoff in our Human and Nature story. Ranft shows us the price humanity pays for the grandeur that lies beneath our feet — introducing us to characters who risk life and limb to witness and study such power. Is the exchange worth it? We won’t know unless we’re willing to venture into the Devil’s Land.

Finally, in an abandoned mining town in British Colombia, Karen Green recounts two histories: the one we speak of, and the one we ignore. In this Chasing Demons story, she finds that even the most elusive of truths can be resurrected if we listen to the ghosts who are trying to tell us The Secrets of Sandon.

As always, we extend our deepest gratitude to our readers, who share our vision of powerful storytelling, and to our contributors, who send us stories worth sharing.

Yours in wanderlust,

Sabine Bergmann and Sivani Babu, Hidden Compass Co-Founders

Liz Shemaria, Hidden Compass Founding Editor

Sonya Pevzner, Editor