Churchill Fellowship Recipient Crossing Continents |
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Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS) Ethnobiologist Glenn Wightman is set to embark on a trip to the United States and United Kingdom after being awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship last year. Mr Wightman, who has spent the last 27 years working with senior Aboriginal knowledge custodians, was awarded a Churchill Fellowship based on his expertise and experience in the area of biological knowledge preservation. “Over the next three months I’ll be visiting leading international institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom to examine programs being undertaken to preserve and ‘pass on’ traditional plant and animal knowledge,” Mr Wightman said. “It is important that we continue to record, preserve and promote traditional plant and animal knowledge before it gets lost as elders pass away." “It is hoped that this fellowship will help resolve the issue of intergenerational traditional biological knowledge transfer, or passing on of plant and animal knowledge from elders to children. " “This could lead to potentially adapting similar strategies in the Northern Territory and offers a great opportunity to learn and share ideas with the foremost experts in ethnobiology.” Mr Wightman has been involved in the recording of biological knowledge associated with 44 Aboriginal languages in northern Australia and coordinated the publication of 24 books detailing this knowledge. “The conservation of traditional biological knowledge occurs in many places in the Top End, including most of our national parks, where we have been working with Aboriginal people and elders talking about plants and animals and recording the names and uses in different languages,” Mr Wightman said. “The fellowship is a wonderful recognition of NRETAS’ work in establishing a long term project aimed at conserving traditional biological knowledge under the direction of Aboriginal elders.” Mr Wightman departs tomorrow, 1 April and returns 2 July 2009.
Churchill Fellowship Recipient Crossing Continents Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS) Ethnobiologist Glenn Wightman is set to embark on a trip to the United States and United Kingdom after being awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship last year. Mr Wightman, who has spent the last 27 years working with senior Aboriginal knowledge custodians, was awarded a Churchill Fellowship based on his expertise and experience in the area of biological knowledge preservation. “Over the next three months I’ll be visiting leading international institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom to examine programs being undertaken to preserve and ‘pass on’ traditional plant and animal knowledge,” Mr Wightman said. “It is important that we continue to record, preserve and promote traditional plant and animal knowledge before it gets lost as elders pass away." “It is hoped that this fellowship will help resolve the issue of intergenerational traditional biological knowledge transfer, or passing on of plant and animal knowledge from elders to children." “This could lead to potentially adapting similar strategies in the Northern Territory and offers a great opportunity to learn and share ideas with the foremost experts in ethnobiology.” Mr Wightman has been involved in the recording of biological knowledge associated with 44 Aboriginal languages in northern Australia and coordinated the publication of 24 books detailing this knowledge. “The conservation of traditional biological knowledge occurs in many places in the Top End, including most of our national parks, where we have been working with Aboriginal people and elders talking about plants and animals and recording the names and uses in different languages,” Mr Wightman said. “The fellowship is a wonderful recognition of NRETAS’ work in establishing a long term project aimed at conserving traditional biological knowledge under the direction of Aboriginal elders.” Mr Wightman departs tomorrow, 1 April and returns 2 July 2009. |
