BOONE, N.C. — Research directed by Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce, professor and chair in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and a National Geographic Explorer, is the focus of a new documentary film titled “Footsteps: A Journey to the Engare Sero Footprints.” The film is sponsored by British footwear brand Vivobarefoot and premiered online at vivobarefoot.com/us/footsteps on Friday, June 14.
The film follows Vivobarefoot founders Galahad and Asher Clark on their pilgrimage to an extraordinary site of early Homo sapiens footprints in northern Tanzania. Discovered in 2006 by Maasai villager Kongo Sakkai, these prehistoric footprints underwent meticulous uncovering, study and three-dimensional mapping by a team of research scientists led by Dr. Liutkus-Pierce. The documentary— directed by award-winning wildlife filmmaker Leander Ward—sheds light on this critical yet vulnerable cultural heritage site facing threats from erosion and insufficient protection against human impact.
“This site records the daily interactions of our ancestors with each other, as well as with the natural environment,” explained Liutkus-Pierce. “The footprints tell us that there were two groups of people, walking together but in opposite directions at different times, and two of them were running. This begs so many questions: What were they doing? Why were they there? By studying the size, arrangement and spacing of the prints, we can determine that it was likely a foraging party of mostly women and children and a handful of adult men. This reminds us that we truly do leave our 'footprint' on the environment with everything we do.”
In 2022, Vivobarefoot invited Liutkus-Pierce to hike from the western escarpment of Tanzania's Gregory Rift Valley—from Lake Empakaai to the floor of Lake Natron 2,000 feet below—for a 20-minute film to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Liutkus-Pierce agreed. From July 25-30, 2022, the Clarks, Liutkus-Pierce and two expert rangers/trackers, Edward Ndituru and Loki Lochito from Kenya's Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, completed the trek.
The team plans the route from the Ngorongoro Highlands to Engare Sero. Photo by Leander Ward
Liutkus-Pierce is no stranger to the East African Rift Valley. Since 2008, she has studied the age and formation of the footprints at Engare Sero, the largest assemblage of Homo sapiens footprints discovered to date in Africa. The prints are pressed into a debris flow made of volcanic ash and sediment on the southern shore of Lake Natron, in the shadow of the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai. The research is a collaborative effort between geologists and paleoanthropologists in the U.S. and Tanzania, from Appalachian State, the Smithsonian Institute, the George Washington University, Rutgers University and the American Museum of Natural History, with funding from National Geographic, the National Science Foundation and the Leakey Foundation. The Engare Sero Footprint Project has been featured in National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post and many others.
After earning her doctorate in geological sciences from Rutgers University, Liutkus-Pierce joined the Appalachian State Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences as an assistant professor in 2005 and was promoted to associate professor in 2011 and full professor in 2017. She has taught Introduction to Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, Evolution of the Earth, The Reef Environment and Geology of Modern Carbonate Systems and a variety of other introductory courses and labs. She was inducted into the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Academy of Outstanding Teachers in 2016, was named CAS Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2017 and was awarded the 2017 UNC Board of Governors Appalachian State University Excellence in Teaching Award. After serving as the director of the environmental science program for five years, Liutkus-Pierce assumed the role of department chair in 2021. She was recently voted as one of the 2024-2025 Distinguished Lecturers (Paleoclimate) for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).
Loki Lochito (left), Edward Ndituru (middle) and Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce (right) study the footprints at Engare Sero. Photo by Leander Ward
A sedimentologist and paleoenvironmental scientist, Liutkus-Pierce reconstructs paleoenvironmental conditions using a variety of sedimentological and geochemical tools, including lake sediments, paleosols and soil carbonates. Her research has taken her across the United States and Eastern and Southern Africa and has been published in Geology, Nature and Scientific Reports (a Nature journal). Now, it's the subject of a documentary film.
Liutkus-Pierce attended the premiere of “Footsteps: A Journey to the Engare Sero Footprints” at the Soho Hotel in London, U.K. on February 19, 2024. The premiere was attended by one hundred people, including the Tanzanian High Commissioner H.E. Mbelwa Kairuki. Following the premiere, Liutkus-Pierce presented on her work as director of the Engare Sero Footprint Project, walking the audience through the discovery of the footprints, their history and, now, their preservation.
The documentary's release is the beginning of a larger project to preserve the site and install a museum, visitor's center and multilingual signage at the site. Liutkus-Pierce is collaborating with the Smithsonian Institute and Leonotis Adventures on the site's design. Vivobarefoot has committed 200,000 pounds (approximately $254,500 U.S. dollars) to the project over the next five years and several non-governmental organizations in Tanzania will assist with planning and construction in collaboration with the Tanzanian Department of Antiquities and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
The group is all smiles after the trek as they take a break in front of the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai. Photo submitted by Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce
“Footprints, and trace fossils in general, provide a unique opportunity for scientists to reconstruct ancient behavior and the Engare Sero site gives us a glimpse into the daily lives of our ancient ancestors. Our collaboration with Vivobarefoot and the resulting film now allows us to share this incredible story with the rest of the world,” said Liutkus-Pierce about the experience.
To learn more about these efforts and to watch “Footsteps: A Journey to the Engare Sero Footprints,” visit vivobarefoot.com/uk/footsteps.
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About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at https://earth.appstate.edu.
By Lauren Gibbs
June 14, 2024
BOONE, N.C.
Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce, professor and chair in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and a National Geographic Explorer
Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce, professor and chair in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and a National Geographic Explorer