User:Bruceanthro

I, Bruceanthro am an anthropologist with a particular interest in natural/cultural landscapes, including particularly, the Wet Tropics World Heritage landscape, North-East Queensland, Australia.

Should any find it useful or should anyone need to contact me outside this userpage, I can and will receive e-mails sent to [mailto:bioculturalconnexions@yahoo.com.au| bioculturalconnexions@yahoo.com.au]

Initial Editing Activities


 My first article, was an article still ranked 'start' quality and of low importance describing favoured/favourite Queensland country/outback artist, Gil Jamieson, as an Australian painter, from the Central Queensland town, Monto

 Next I did some smallish edits posting details of the effects tropical cyclones have on natural resources, within the existing Effects of tropical cyclones Wikipedia page .. primarily some of the unexpected an dmore idiosyncratic 'geomorphological' effects/impacts

 My first substantial article was one identifying Ngarrabullgan as a significant mountain in north Queensland, religious site and location of Queensland's oldest known, dated cultural landscape (or so arcaheologist Dr Bruno David asserts/claims)

 I continued for a short while, after Ngarrabullgan identifying, naming and describing a number of significant Aboriginal geological features within North-East Queensland region, including a small article on Ngimun, plus Fitzroy Island, Queensland, plus Green Island, Queensland, plus upgrading the prexisting article on cultural landscapes.

Creating and editing the above Australian Aboriginal feature articles got me into my first, small Wikipedia editing strife .. First strike against me being for (re)directing users entering contemporary Australian feature names to article using, instrad, original Aboriginal names. Second strick was seeking to use italised text at the beginning of these Aboriginal names articles, forwarning readers as to the nature of indigenous intellectual property held in names and contents of the articles

 I quickly learned a lot about Wikipedia manners, protocols, noticeboards, processes, licences, and disclaimers etc following incidents outlined in 5. above .. and following an early failed attempt to see indingeous intellectual property identified and included in Wikipedia's disclaimer/s .. I produced new article on indigenous intellectual property (still to be expanded into national parliamentary laws and/or case laws around the world) .. and .. yipee .. I received my first and only barnstar!!

 I next proceeded to biographies, still working from my own disciplinary backaground and my own region of the world, this time growing' up an article on Australian archaeologist, Roger Cribb... later proceeding to the beginnings of an article on Australian anthropologist Peter Sutton (still to be expanded upon)

 In response to a request made on the Wiki Australia project page, asking for a significant tidy up of article on Australian Aboriginal mythology article, I have now significantly upgraded that page and included on it, a pic I took of the local Aboriginal mythical being, Damarri, within the wet tropical landscape.</li>

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 * Bruceanthro's Sandbox

Most Recent Editing Activities
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<li>By new year (2008) I was a lot more familiar with Wikipedia, and had signed up onto a number of Wikiprojects. .including particularly WikiProject Anthropology .. whereupon a fellow member of that project revealed the impoverished state of many core anthropological articles within Wikipedia .. leading me to focus some attention on that project, reinvigorating that project's collaboration of the month, reawkening self identified project members .. and working on kinship as the first core anthropological article 'collaboration of the month'</li> <li> In addition to WikiProject Anthropology, there was an 'under construction' WikiProject Indigenous peoples of Australia .. arising I think from the considerable activity around the 'Indigenous Australians' article .. around which I embarked on some activity .. eventually myself preparing the project page and self nominating (still the sole member in Feb 2008!) to undertake collaborative editing activities in this area!!</li>

<li> Given my own professional interests and experience, I have started compiling materials in relation to an existing stub article on biocultural evolution, and I rescued from proposed deletion an existing stub article on biocultural diversity, each of which I hope/intend to substantially upgrade </li>

<li> Got truly distracted by the vastness of Wikipedia, tinkering around initiating the beginnings of some biographies on Australian Anthropologists such as Peter Sutton, Les Hiatt, and Kenneth Maddock .. then wandering off to verify and upgrade a stub on the Wangal people .. and finally received a direct e-mail invite to upgrade the ethnobiology article!</li>

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Intellectual Property Statement
In my professional capacity (outside of Wikipedia) I have done some work with Aboriginal groups of north-east Australia's wet tropical forests, particularly in relation to pre-existing (indigenous) knowledge economies persisting into the present.

In my greater ambition and endeavours to begin the process of documenting the natural and cultural history of north-east Australia's wet tropical forests (see above), and in my undertaking a WikiAnthropology project to document some of the cultural dimensions of geological features of the wet tropical forested region (cultural landscapes) .. I am wary not to offend the local Aboriginal knowledge economies I have otherwise sought to document and support.

For the above reasons, I have decided to include the following intellectual property statement within the talk pages for each of the artciles that make an Australian Aboriginal cultural landscape type contribution:

It is noted that some/much of the cultural landscape material relied upon in compiling this natural and cultural history (ranging from the 'naming' of places, to the stories/mythology for the places, plus the content of both the names and the stories) should properly be considered the intellectual and cultural property of those Aboriginal people's who first gave the material to be documented and recorded.

''It is also recognised and noted that within local Aboriginal economies of knowledge great store is placed on the act of performing or presenting knowledge, and it is in fact by performing or presenting knowledge (or some version of it), that the ownership of the knowledge is established. The more frequently and effectively particular stories, knowledges, designs or skills are performed, the more they become stamped and owned by the performer, plus, the more the performers performances will be to 'purchase 'obligatory relationships against which claims to real world benefits can be drawn/demanded.''

''Recognising and acknowledging the above, it is not the authors intention, nor can it be considered Wikipedia's organisation's intention to rob the original performers, tellers, knowledge holders of their 'ownership' of those names, stories, or knowledge that may be used in this article. Instead, it is here asserted that any use made of the names etc in this article can not be considered a genuine, authentic, authorised use, and should, rather, be regarded as more of a charactiture of the original, promotional in nature, leading readers towards the actual, authentic knowledge holders, potentially increasing the value of their intellectual and cultural property .. As a matter of practice, in accessing and using such names, stories or knowledges I undertake, wherever possible, to either name the person/s or family who have originally given the performances/knowledge, and/or the families/group from amongst whom the performances/knowledges find their source.''

If there is an alternative or better approach to take in relation to the above, I would welcome comment or advice.

Suggestions, Support & Advice Most Welcome
I remain, of course, new to this whole public encylopedic entry/ies exercise, still finding my way .. and am very open and receptive to any suggestions, advice, recommendations, or support that anyone may have to offer .. particularly in relation to proposed editing activities listed above:

Bruceanthro (talk) 14:57, 23 February 2008 (UTC)