Australian Ethnobotanical Association

[qualia]

don't get me wrong i'm broadly supportive of efforts to prevent the ludicrous laws, and i think an association whose purpose is education and lobbying surrounding ethnobotanical plants is a good thing. just kind of difficult to know what it is i'm supporting (and probably people (like myself) might be more inclined to donate if there was a clear vision).

something to think about:

where do you see the association in 1 years time? in 5 years time?

[whitewind]

Hi guys, a few questions popping up here.

Qualia, re Mission Statement

This is the definition of Ethnobotany.

Ethnobotany

The systematic study of the botanical knowledge of a social grouop and its use of locally available plants in foods, medicines, clothing, or religious rituals. Rudimentary drugs derived from plants used in folk medicines have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of many illnesses, both physical and mental. The ethnobotany of prehistoric cultures is discovered through examination of ancient writings, pictures, pottery, and plant remains in jars or midden heaps (garbage dumps) excavated at archaeological sites. From this information, the agricultural practices and cultural development of a people can be determined. Ethnobotanists often live for periods of time in the society they are studying, to observe all phases of their lives, including mythology, religious practices, and language, in order to determine the specific plants used and the methods involved in their preparation. Travelers' journals, the field notes of early botanists, and other writings serve as sources of information about agricultural methods and folk remedies of the past.

Our mission statement is:

The sharing of historical and practical ethnobotanical knowledge by observing dietary, medicinal and recreational relationships that exist between plants and people with an emphasis on sustainable practices and availability of such plants.

Plans

As far as plans go, we have a number of ideas floating around. The association will be, at it's base, much like any other plant society, with regular meetings where any and all members are invited to attend, talks will be held, discussions will be had, and plant and seed material will be shared, as well as information.

There will be a regular e-newsletter with stories, updates and discussion of scientific studies, probably strongly linked to the website.

There will (we hope) be affiliation with other groups, such as the IUCN and PRISM.

And yes, it will most likely be a lobby group, as the committee members are all very much opposed to the current Western government's attitudes towards personal medicine use, and we are concerned that the new legislation may, over time, evolve into banning all plants that contain toxic materials and possibly even to control food plants. Personally, I am a long-term campaigner for the environment and freedom to use medicines of our choice, and other social issues. Most of this has been through online discussions, emailing the government and signing petitions through various organisations, to promote a fairer future for all people. I remember last year when these proposals got a lot of attention, and although thousands of people asked Avaaz to run a campaign against it, it refused. We were left with nothing, and perhaps all we have left is to organise ourselves and do it the best way we can. The association can do this, with support, and in return it allows people to get to know and trust each other, share ideas and organise better in a more effective, legally recognised framework. Ethnobotany is also a very wide ranging subject which also covers, in theory, commercial gardening as a human interaction, so our potential membership base is quite large.

I do want to prepare an official submission to the government regarding these proposals, but I haven't had a chance to even think about this as I'm very busy trying to set up the association, working full-time with a family, plus it's Christmas.

Just remember, we haven't had a meeting yet, we have no members, so these ideas are just that and have yet to be confirmed.

[whitewind]

Incognito,

There are a few things we still know we need to provide money for, and there are probably many more that we haven't thought about yet. Specifically, we need insurance, we need a registered PO Box, and we may need funds to run a few ads hunting for members. We haven't costed these items yet. We are rushing into this a bit at the busiest time of year and we haven't done a complete cost analysis of all the running funds, but there is a basic outline on the previous page. We are still recieving advice on what we (legally) need and probably should have. Funds will go towards running costs, advertising and any campaigns we decide to run - but not wages. Our time is free. The more money we have (and we don't have much) the more we can do (ask any decent lobbying group, Amnesty, Greenpeace, etc. or even just a standard plant society) and we are starting from scratch here with no membership yet!

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

don't get me wrong i'm broadly supportive of efforts to prevent the ludicrous laws, and i think an association whose purpose is education and lobbying surrounding ethnobotanical plants is a good thing. just kind of difficult to know what it is i'm supporting (and probably people (like myself) might be more inclined to donate if there was a clear vision).

something to think about:

where do you see the association in 1 years time? in 5 years time?

 

Mate absolutely know where you are coming from! As you can tell the whole idea has a loose general direction in which it wants to head. I think, to those thinking and working on the idea it has a little more clarity, but isn't that the case with everyone's ideas to themselves!? I assure you all your questions will be answered truthfully and honestly in the next month. It may not be what other members of this forum want to hear, but the answers will come, in set concrete :-D

If anybody has any concerns with the auction and where the funds will go, I tried to counteract that by putting up a kick arse product list! surely what is listed is worth bidding on even if I planned on blowing the money myself :-P (I assure you this is not the case LOL)

D00d

Edited December 14, 2012 by thed00dabides

[whitewind]

Many thanks to Torsten for your donation, I really appreciate the support and advice you've given over the last few weeks too, that's the sort of thing which is really important but often doesn't get acknowledged either.

[Sallubrious]

Has anyone mentioned the importance of biodiversity and the rates of extinction that we are seeing all around the globe.

This planet simply can't afford to lose anymore species for the sake of a handful of naive politicians that want to control everything.

[Stillman]

Thats it SallyD just take Tomatoes, Strawberries and Corn for example. All three are relatively "staple type" vegetables/ fruit in average housholds. The way we allow our Supermarket/ super farmers to dictate our needs soon children will only believe a tomato is red and round and taste like water, that Strawberries are the size of 50cent peices and are sour and corn taste like cardboard. lol

The food element of this whole augment is extremely worrying..

[whitewind]

I'll put conservation into the mission statement, it got missed somehow. I will also expand on the relationships angle as it didn't include all relationships, such as use of plants for clothing, dyes, construction, etc. The list could get pretty long so I'll add it as "other".

Let me know what you think.

The sharing of historical and practical ethnobotanical knowledge by observing dietary, medicinal, recreational and other relationships that exist between plants and people with an emphasis on conservation, sustainable practices, and the availability of such plants.

[whitewind]

Or

The sharing of historical and current ethnobotanical knowledge and practices by observing dietary, medicinal, recreational and other relationships that exist between plants and people with an emphasis on conservation, sustainable practices, and the availability of such plants.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

I like that WW. These have squashed some of my concerns I was going to bring up Sunday, looks good!

[dionysus]

perhaps '...dietary, medicinal, material, recreational and other...' just to create even more buffer between the 'recreational' bomb and also to be a little more specific with what some ;others' may be. literal material being one, but also construction, textile, art etc uses for plants will then be directly covered. just my 2 p

[whitewind]

Recreational covers gardening, parkland, any environment which utilises plants in a recreational setting, not just ingestion. The list gets massive if you want to detail every possible use. I think the three topics are of most interest to most amateur and professional plant growers and users, and keeps the mission statement quite tidy.

[altenate]

I like your second statement whitewind

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

Things are moving along nicely! I think I'm correct in saying that their should be "official" correspondence to all your questions within weeks!

[Bigred]

im in a hundred percent and will run a seq chapter will work on fund raising as well got a few idea's in mind

ethic's is the main concern as we want to be seen a proffesional's studying a subject not just a bunch of

drop kicks who use plant's to get high our meeting's must have a scientific agenda and a broad range of

topics. and the term medicinal is one of my favorite's . also we must have chain of command so to speak

and our leader must have a strong knowledge on the subject and the law .

[Seldom]

Are any of you professionals?

I've never heard other Aussies like Snu, Mulga, Nen, 'JJ' , etc. try to claim professional status. The word amateur comes from the same latin root word as the French amour, meaning love, the distinction isn't between skilled/unskilled, an amateur is one whose involvement is an extension of love, a professional is someone who earns. as far as i can see you're all amateurs.

remember that a cocoon can also give birth to something terrible

[qualia]

professional what, "self organising systems"?

remember, argument by authority is no argument.

[poisonshroom]

Im a botany student (or was until my university cut botany as a major this year, but I still do mostly plant related subjects in a bachelour of science), which will make me a 'professional' in the future. Id like to help out as much as I can (even if its just with checking references and proof reading or perhaps getting assistance/info from real 'professionals'), but being all the way up in North QLD, it makes it a bit more difficult at the moment. Maybe by the time I finish my degree this will be all up and running and expanding, and I could contribute as a professional.

At the moment Im an amateur, but I still have access to scientific literature and could one day be regarded as a professional, so although at the moment things are a bit turbulent (for me personally) Id still like to help out in any way I can, and one day help bring this up north or wherever I end up. This is a cause I strongly believe in, and would like to see it gain momentum and hopefully make a difference, so for now Im happy to help in any way I can, and hopefully one day be able to contribute a lot more.

[goneski]

Yea, totally need someone smartly dressed in a suit, with glasses, sitting in front of a bookcase nodding in agreement.

[poisonshroom]

hahaha I can assure you I'm none of those things, so maybe Im not the best candidate I dont know how many professional botanists wear suits either lol maybe a safari suit

[Stillman]

Those of us in SEQ or QLD in general who are interested in being involved please contact Big Red or myself so we can get some numbers back to Whitewind.

This is about the love of plants, I think from my prospective at least, I hope this evolves into a seed/ plant bank where all plants can be sourced and accessed for the everyday gardener and the scientifically minded alike.

[Stillman]

Poisonshroom I just enrolled in Biology here in Brisbane with QUT. I have a pith helmet and would look Rad in a Safari suit.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

To keep everyone updated I am currently setting up the AEA website. Hopefully you are all able to view it within a month or so!

And yeah, all you Queenslanders should convene and get in contact with Whitewind, or if you'd prefer myself, as I think the guys are holidaying for a few weeks.?

D00d

[Seldom]

bigred83:

we want to be seen a proffesional's studying a subject

my response was to ^, all i was saying is this is a stupid thing to say if you're not someone in a position that's typically viewed as a professional.

stillman:

I hope this evolves into a seed/ plant bank where all plants can be sourced and accessed for the everyday gardener and the scientifically minded alike.

http://www.seedring.org/

Edited December 29, 2012 by self organising systems

[Seldom]

p.s - i love that you " " 'd self organising systems, as though it's a 'if that is your real name' scenario