AP: Chimps varied ‘culture’ matters for conservation, study says. “As researchers learn more about Homo sapiens’ closest living genetic relatives, they are also discovering more about the diversity of behaviors within chimpanzee groups — activities learned, at least in part socially, and passed from generation to generation. These patterns are referred to as ‘traditions’ — or even animal ‘culture.’ In a new study , scientists argue that this diversity of behaviors should be protected as species themselves are safeguarded, and that they are now under threat from human disturbance.”
endangered culture
Archaeological Institute of America: Launch of New Website for Cultural Property Protection Groups
Archaeological Institute of America: Launch of New Website for Cultural Property Protection Groups . “The new website of the Cultural Heritage by Archaeology and the Military Panel (CHAMP) is now active! CHAMP’s sister organization, Military Cultural Heritage Advisory Group (MilCHAG), is now sharing the website. MilCHAG has the same overall goal of protecting endangered cultural heritage, but the group focuses on directly helping military personnel plan, train, and operate to protect cultural property in areas in conflict.”
‘Flying blind’: Researchers call for national database of Indigenous sites (SBS News Australia)
SBS News (Australia): ‘Flying blind’: Researchers call for national database of Indigenous sites. “Researchers have called for the development of a national database of historical and culturally significant Indigenous sites after findings that the lack of an up-to-date, national record has led to issues with the management of sites, including an inability to engage with threats such as climate change.”
Voice of America News: Wikitongues Seeks to Save World’s Dying Languages
Voice of America News: Wikitongues Seeks to Save World’s Dying Languages. “Wikitongues was launched in 2016 as an open internet collection of world languages. The self-described ‘community’ is operated by volunteers from around the world. The collection is in the form of language videos that people add to the Wikitongues website. Wikitongues says that, even with the internet’s wide reach, less than 1 percent of all languages are actively represented online. The organization seeks to serve as an internet resource to connect users who wish to keep a language alive.”
Ecns: Drones increasingly used to protect Great Wall
Ecns: Drones increasingly used to protect Great Wall. “The use of drones helps human inspectors gain a precise understanding of the preservation of the Great Wall at delicate levels and reveals more information on areas difficult for people to access. Yanqing has the most extensive Great Wall elements in the capital city as well as a complete preservation system. Authorities said drones, satellite images and other new technologies will provide the most comprehensive, accurate data on the Great Wall to create a digital archive platform.”
Bought for a buck, now priceless: Alberta Indigenous media archive being digitized (The Globe and Mail)
The Globe and Mail: Bought for a buck, now priceless: Alberta Indigenous media archive being digitized. “He bought them for a dollar. Now, ‘boxes and boxes and boxes’ of old audiotape and film that Bert Crowfoot has safeguarded for decades are turning out to be a priceless trove of Indigenous stories, culture and language.” I have been following Bert Crowfoot on Facebook for years. His photography is excellent..
‘It’s beautifully ugly’: Warren Kirk is preserving Australian suburbia, one photo at a time (ABC News)
ABC News (Australia): ‘It’s beautifully ugly’: Warren Kirk is preserving Australian suburbia, one photo at a time. “For decades, Warren Kirk has been on a mission to preserve something he says is dying: old-fashioned Australian suburbia. ‘It’s beautifully ugly,’ the Melbourne photographer says of the suburban aesthetic, with its relics like the outdoor tyre swan. He says within the ‘banality’ of suburbia is a certain beauty many of us take for granted — one that tells us a lot about our history.”
