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Christian Clark, " The Indigenous Knowledge Resource Management Northern Australia Project: Garma 2004". Published by Making Collective Memory with Computers, School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia, at

http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/pdf/CK_Garma2004.pdf

Publication Details

This web page was published February 2005

Title: The Indigenous Knowledge Resource Management Northern Australia Project: Garma 2004 Christian Clark, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3010.

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TheIndigenousKnowledgeResourceManagementNorthern

Austral iaProject

Garma2004

ChristianClark

IspentthefirstmorningoftheGarmaFestivalintheYirrkala

community,fortykilometersfromtheFestivalsite.OnmyreturnI

sensedthefirstwarmthoffamiliaritywiththearea.Iwalkedpast

theCharlesDarwinUniversity(CDU)‘do\a’onmywaybacktomy

tent.TheCDUdo\awasconspicuousasitwasoneoftwonarrow

portablebuildingsnearthecentreofthetreedFestivalarea.Imadea

noteofitsorientationtoaidasmoothentranceintothefieldofmy

researchafterlunch.ThereisasenseofuneaseatGarma,ofnot

knowingwhatmighthappennext.Soyoufillyourbelly,justincase

youmissthenextmeal.Iatetooquickly,gatheredmytoolsforthe

afternoon:notepad,water,andvideocamera,andsetouttowards

theCDUdo\a.1

TheBu\gul(ceremony)groundservedasthegeographiccentreofthe

Festivalsite(seeAppendix1).AroundtheWesternedgeoftheBu\gul

groundwerethemainsitesofimportanceandattractiontovisitors.Atthe

Southendwasthemaincateringfacility,whichwasprovidedbythe

Canadianoperatorsofthelocalopen-cutBauxitemin,ALCAN.Further

aroundwasthevisitors’campingarea.CentralontheWesternedgewas

theDisplayarea,andatthenorthendwasthereceptionandcarpark.The

CDUdo\aestablishedoneboundaryoftheDisplayArea,whichconsistedof

variousexhibitsincludingmaps,artandotherinformationhostedbylocal

groupsandorganizations.Do\asarenarrowportablebuildings,

approximatelythreemeterswideandtenmeterslong,andaretheonly

four-walled,lockablestructuresonthesite(excepttheshowersandtoilets).

Theyhavedoorsononesideandarowofsmallwindowsontheother.An

informationcenter,calledtheInfoHut,residedintwodo\asformingthe

adjacentsidestoasquareareashadedbyatarpaulin.CDUstaffand

studentsmanagedonedo\awhiletheotherwassharedbyMuseumVictoria,

variousjournalistsandphotographers,andthemembersoftheNational

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RecordingProjectforIndigenousMusicinAustralia.ManyCDUstaffand

studentshaveanestablishedrelationshipwiththeYol\ucommunities

throughtheYol\uStudiesprogramofferedthroughtheSchoolofAustralian

IndigenousKnowledgeSystems(SAIKS).CDUalsocollaboratewiththe

hostsoftheGarmaFestival,theYothuYindiFoundation(YYF),throughthe

GarmaCulturalStudiesInstitute(GCSI).Oneofthesecollaborative

projectsistheIndigenousKnowledgeResourceManagementNorthern

AustraliaARCLinkageProject(IKRMAN).

AsIapproachtheCDUdo\aIcanhearthehumoftheair

conditionersandotherelectricalequipment.ACDUbannerisdraped

overthesingleopendoor,holdingitopen.Stickytapedtothewall

facingtheDisplayAreaarevarioussheetsofpaperdescribingYol\u

knowledgepracticesandkinship.MichaelChristie,anIKRMNAsenior

researcherwhoIhadpreviousmetinMelbourne,recognizesmeand

invitesmeinside,outoftheafternoonheat.

“Comeinsideandhangout”,hesaysdisappearingintothestreamsof

peopleenteringandexitingthedo\a.

Therewashardlythespacetohangout.Theonlyclearfloorwasamere

foursquaremetersimmediatelyinsidethedoor.Atablerandowntheleft

handsideofthebuildingbelowthewindows.Sevencomputerswere

arrangedalongthetable,asinglechairallocatedtoeach,withaprinterat

thedoorend.Twolockedstoragecabinetswerealsosqueezedinside,one

ofwhichdoubleasacouch.Thedeskwascluttered.IKRMNApamphlets,

papersonIndigenousKnowledgeManagementinAlaska,aprintermanual,

variousFestivaloutlinesandProgramswereentwinedwithinsulatednetwork

cables,powercables,computermiceandbatterycharges.Themost

importantdocumentswerestickytapedabovethedeskonthewall,

includingausernameandpasswordfortheIKRMNAdatabaseprogram

handwrittenonanA4pieceofpaper,typedinstructionsonhowtoupload

itemsontothedatabase,keystrokesfortheAYolnguNTUfont,and,

slightlyclosertothedoor,agrowinglistforpeopleinterestedintheCDU

Yol\ulanguagecourses.

1 These narratives are taken from my field notes. They are compilations of events that attempt to stay ‘true to’ rather than necessarily ‘true of’ my experience at Garma 2004.

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AmannamedBevanKoopmanwasresponsibleforthesetupandsmooth

operationofthenetworkofcomputersintheCDUdo\a.Hewasa

computerscientistwiththeGovernmentsupportedresearchorganization

DistributiveSystemsTechnologyCentre(DSTC).Bevan’scomputerwasthe

furthestfromthedoorandencasedtheserverforthedatabase.Itwas

networkedtotheothercomputers,whichwereprovidedbyCDUandalso

ranthedatabasesoftware.DSTChavedevelopedsoftwareforIndigenous

communitiesinbothAustraliaandNorthAmerican(wheretheyworkwith

theNationalMuseumfortheAmericanIndian).InAustraliaDSTCis

workingprobonofortheIKRMNALinkageProject.Itisthisrelationship

thatenabledtheDSTCsoftware,acomputerandoneoftheirpersonnel,

BevanKoopman,tobetransportedtoandarrangedintothefunctioningof

theInfoHutatGarma2004.

Insidethedo\atherearefiveRoyalMelbourneInstituteof

Technology(RMIT)studentsgettingreadytorecordthemoreformal

ForumsessionsattheFestival.Somearestillfinishingworkingat

computers,whileotherspacktheirbagswithdrinkbottlesandnote

paper.Theybegintodiscusstheafternoon’stasks.

UsingtheFestivalProgramthestudentsallocatethemselvesto

particularsessions,ensuringeachsessionisalsoallocatedcorrect

typesofrecordingdevices:laptopsandMinidiscplayersandmedia,

microphonesandheadphones.Thisrequiressomesortingout.

“DoesyourUSBworkwithmyMiniDisc?”Asksonestudenttoother.

Theotherstudentshrugs,andreachesforherUSBcable.Thetwo

studentslinktheMinidisctoacomputerusingUSBcable,confirming

itscompatibilitythroughiconsonthescreen.Otherstudentscheck

thattheirMiniDiscsareworking,recordingsoundandplayingitback

throughasetofheadphones.

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ThreeYol\uboysaresittingaroundoneofthelaptops.Theyhave

openeda‘painting’program,andquicklyallthreechildrenwanttheir

owncomputer.Onemovestotheneighboringcomputer.

“Michael’sworkingonthatone”,oneRMITstudentsaystoknowone

inparticular.

“Howaboutthisone?”,theRMITcoordinatorsaystotheboys.

“No.It’stheserver.Itrunsalltheotherones!”,someonesays.

“When’sMichaelgoingtobeback?”

Theboysarealreadysettlingdowninfrontofcomputers,andthe

RMITstudents’ceasetheirapparentlyfutileefforts,andreturntheir

attentiontotheirpreparation.AnotherfiveYol\uolderboysjointhe

youngerones.

TheRMITstudentswerethemostcommonoccupantsofthedo\a,

especiallyatnightafterdo\a’svariousdaytimevisitorshadceasedand

beforethenighttimeentertainmentfinishedandDusk,awriter,cameinto

setuphisswagonthefloorforagoodnightssleep.Daytimevisitors

included:CDUstudentsdocumentinganartprojecttakingplaceimmediately

outside,journalistschargingtheirequipmentatthefewsparepowersockets,

visitorswantingprintoutsofinformation,IKRMNAresearchersandYol\u

children.RMIThadestablishedacontractwithYYF,forthetranscriptionof

alltheformalsessionsoftheForumandtheMusicSymposium.These

sessionswhereaninitiativeoftheGarmaCulturalStudiesInstituteand

operatedsimilartoaWesternpedagogicalforumsorpaneldiscussions.They

werealmostexclusivelyinEnglish,andthestudentstranscribedmuchofit

atthetimeusinglaptops,fillingingapsbackinthedo\afromdigital

recordingstakenusingMiniDiscs.Whenthetranscriptionswereconsidered

finishedtheywereuploadedontothedatabasebythestudents,who

describedeachitemwiththedetailsgivenintheFestivalProgram.The

RMITstudentsoftenworkedmorethan12hourseachday.

Theotherinhabitantsofthedo\arelatedtoIKRMNAwereJohnGreatorex,

aSAIKSlecturerandresearcher,BryceKing,aSAIKSresearchassistant,

JennyWulumdhuna,ateacherfromDjurranalpi,ahomelandCentreon

Galwin'kuIsland,andMarkYingiyafromMilingimbi.Thefourofthem

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workedatrecordingYol\uknowledgeonvideorecorders.Bytheendof

theweekYi\iyaandWulumdhunahadtakenovertenhoursoffootage,

someofwhichwasviewedandeditedinthesmallclearcornerofthedo\a.

AdiscussionofthedifferentworkdonebytheRMITstudents,Yi\iyaand

Wulumdhunaisthefocusofmuchofthediscussionlaterinthispaper.

Yol\uboysoftencameintothedo\aingroupstousethecomputers,

especiallythepaintingprograms.Makingdowiththeallocationofonechair

perlaptoptheysatoneachotherand/oronthepeopleworkingnextto

them.Theboyswereconfidentinestablishingthemselvesinthedo\a,

nevershyinaskingyoutomoveoutoftheirwayoraskingforhelpopening

theprograms.Thegroupstendedtoincludeboysofsimilarage.Theolder

boys,betweentenandfifteenataguess,werefamiliarwiththecomputer

softwareandeasilylocatedandopenedthepaintingprogram.Theyounger

boyseitherusedtheprogramstraightafteranolderboy,askedsomebody

athandtoopentheprogramorplayedfreelyopeningvariousprogramsand

clickingobjectsonthescreenusingthemouse.OccasionallyBevaninvolved

himselfwiththegroups’interestsandwork.

ThegroupofYol\uboyssettledintousingcomputers,occasionally

callingtoeachothertoshowwhattheyhaddoneorweredoing.

Takinginterestintheboysandtheirusedigitaltechnology,Igetout

myvideocameraandbegintorecordthem.

Immediatelytheboysseeme,afewsurroundme,peeringovermy

shoulderatwhatIamrecordingontheLCDscreen.Theywalkin

frontofmeensuringtheygetinthepicture.Someholdouta

‘thumbsup’viewingtheirhandgesturesontheLCDscreenatthe

sametime.

“Myturn”,saysoneoftheyoungerboys,takingthecamerafrommy

hands.AsIwassoontolearn,littleeffortwasneededtogetYol\u

handsontodigitaltechnologycomparedtothatofkeepingthemoff.

Theboyhappilyrecordshisfriendsonlaptops,twoofwhomarenow

beingshownmapsoftheGovePeninsular(thesurroundingregion)by

Bevan.

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Anotherboyisdrawnovertothemaps,politelyswitchingofthe

computerhiswasworkingon,andunknowinglytoeveryoneatthe

time,includinghimself,shuttingdownthedatabaseserver.

“Sydney?”,onesayspointingtothebottomofthescreen.Iamglad

theboyisstillrecordingwhatIaminterestedin.Asthisthought

passes,theboyturnsthecameraonme.

Ismile,thenself-consciouslyturntolookbehindme,actingasifthe

boywasreallyfilmingthere.Ifailtoshakeintheinterestofthe

boy.Heaimsthecamerasquarelyatme:whatareyoudoinghere

theboyandthecameraasktogether.

WhatwasIdoing?AtGarmaIspentmuchofmytime‘hangingout’inthe

CDUdo\a.IwastheretorecordtheemergenceoftheIKRMNAdatabase,

usinganotebook,videocameraandastillcamera.However,mostofthe

timeIdidn’tfeellikeIwashangingoutatall,butmerelytryingtohanging

on.IhadhopedtodocumenthowYol\upeoplecreateddataitemsand

howtheyworkedwiththedatabase.IhadthoughthatImightwitnessthe

emergenceofadatabasewhichsupportedtheontologyofthoseYol\uwho

begantobuildit.Thisdidnothappen.Slightlybewildered,Ihungonfor

twodays,untilIdecidedtoletgoandsimplyseewhatdideventuate.

WhatamIdoingnow?InawayI’mstilltryingtoletgoofpreconceived

ideas.Iamtryingtowriteupmyexperienceandinvolvementwiththe

IKRMNAprojectatGarma2004,thatcapturestheuneasinessthatIfeltand

thesomeitscomplexity.Iamwantingtotellastorythatholdsontowhat

happened.InthedescriptionaboveIhavegivenapictureofwhatI

considerthe‘IKRMNAprojectworld’.Ihaveborrowedthisheuristicfrom

HelenVerran’s“embodiedmicroworld”2.Theseworldsinvolve

“materialembodied,in-placeroutineactionsthatexpresssocial

relations:bothindividual,personalandintimate,andcollective,

impersonalandinstitutional.Theyinvolvewrittentexts,andstories,

2 Helen Verran, 2004a, “A Nineteenth Century British Investigation”, in Doing the Nature of Australia, unpublished.

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theories,narratives,imagesandfiguresthatcontributetothe

justifyingandexplainingoftheproject.”3

Thesocialrelations,or“routinesofsociality”,oftheIKRMNAprojectworld

include:theinstitutionalassociationsbetweenALCANandtheYothuYindi

Foundation,theassociationsformedbetweentheYothuYindiFoundation,

CharlesDarwinUniversity,RMITandDTSC,andtherelationbetweenthe

YothuYindiFoundationandthevariouslandowningYol\uclansofthe

NorthEastArnhemLandregion.Otherroutinesofsocialityincludethe

groupsYol\uboy’swhousedthedo\aforparticularpurposes,thevisitors

andmyself,asaUniversityofMelbournestudent4.Alltheserelationsare

expressedinthematerialconfigurationoftheFestivalSite:theareain

whichweate,thegeneratorssupplyingthepowertothesite,thecentral

locationoftheCDUdo\aanditsinternalmaterialarrangementswhich

supportedparticularpractices,andtheclassificationofmaterialtechnologies

(laptops,MiniDiscs,CDdrives,digitalvideocamerasandstillshotcameras)

insupportingdigitalinformation.Textsandnarrativesthatexplainedthe

projectwerepresentintheIKRMNApamphlets,articlesrelatingtoDSTC

workinNorthAmerica,theFestivalprogram,andthetranscriptionswhich

weretestimonytotheproductivenessoftheprojectworld.Allthese

routinesperformedparticularentitiesandentirerealitiesintobeingat

Garma20045.

IwanttoturnnowtowhattheIKRMNAthoughttheywheredoingat

Garma2004.Thereareanumberoftextsassociatedtoandproducedby

theIKRMNAprojectthatwerenotpresentatGarma2004.Discussing

thesecanhelptracedecisionsorroutinesthathavebeenclottedbythe

projectbeyondthehorizonofmyexperienceatGarma20046.Theguiding

principleoftheIKRMNAprojectisarticulatedbelowbyMichaelChristie

duringanIKRMNAprojectseminarin2003.

3 Ibid, p 2. 4 I was only able to attend the Garma Festival 2004, through an enrolment in a subject offered by The School of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies at The University of Melbourne, who also have an established agreement with the Garma Cultural Studies Institute. 5 See Bruno Latour, 1999, Pandora’s Hope: essays on the reality of Science Studies, Havard University Press, Cambridge and London , p 151 and John Law, 2004, After Method: mess in social science research, Routledge, Oxfordshire and New York, p 27-32 on reality as the routinisation of local practices. 6 Geoffery C Bowker and Susan Leigh Starr, 1999, Sorting Things Out: classification and its consequences, MIT Press, Cambridge and Landon, p 48.

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“Thefirstbasicprinciplefordevelopingownershipandusefulness

wouldbetostartwithverylimiteddatathathasbeenproducedby

thepeopleonthegroundwhichtheyhavedecidedwillbeusefulfor

theirownpurposesinteachingyoungergenerations,makingcollective

memories,orcelebratingconnections.”7

Inthisquote,MichaelChristieidentifiesanaim-“developingownershipand

usefulness”andthepracticesforitsachievement-localpeopledecidingon

whatdataitemstoproduceandproducingthemthemselves.This

statement,whichIconsiderexemplaryofIKRMNAstatementsofpurpose,

illustratesadovetailingoftwoimaginariesintheIKRMNAprojectworld.

Thefirstoftheseimaginariesisthatofknowledgeproductionasanever

emerginglocalactivity.ThesecondisofselfdeterminationforIndigenous

Australians.Withintheembodiedmicroworldheuristic,

“Imaginariesarepivotalboth(a)asimageorfigureand(b)as

justificatorynarrative.Imaginariesachieveadegreeofcontinuityand

coherencethroughchoreographingenactedroutines”8(emphasis

added)

TheIKRMNAunderstandingofknowledgeproductionpredominantlyfulfils

thefirstfunctionoftheimaginary,whileindigenousselfdetermination

predominantlyfulfillsthesecond.IKRMNAunderstandsthedatabasethey

hopetocreateas“alwaysanemergentsolution.”9Thissolutionis

“emergent”inthesensethatitsupportsindigenousknowledgeandits

structuresthroughsupportingthegradualstabilizationoflocalindigenous

practicesofmanagingtheirknowledgeindigitalforms.Suchaprocessis

describedbyLucySuchmanasoneof“artfulintegration”10.Inthecaseof

softwaredevelopment,artfulintegrationdissolvesthedistinctionbetween

7 Michael Christie, 2003, “Databases which support rather than inhibit Australian Aboriginal ways of knowing and making knowledge”, ARC Linkage Project Seminar, September 24, 2003, Charles Darwin University, p 9. 8 Helen Verran, 2004a, p 17. 9 IKRMNA, 2004a, “Indigenous Knowledge Management Northern Australian: making collective memory with computers”, unpublished, p 1. 10 Lucy Suchman, 2002, “Located Accountabilities in Technology Production”, Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, 14(2), p 91-108.

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‘users’and‘developers’11,asthesoftwareisdevelopedwithinthecontextof

use.Hence,thefigureofanemergentsolutionalsoinformedthe

developmentofthesoftware.

TheIKRMNAsoftwareisopensource,soanyonecanaccessandmodifyits

codetolocalsituations.Thesoftwareenablesdataitemstobeuploaded

intoauniqueaddressonaparticularserver(likeaURLontheinternet).

Theseitemsmaybetext,images,audio,video,oracombinationofthese.

Thesoftwareallowsforavariablenumberoffieldsfordescribingeachitem,

calledmetadata.Inhavingnodefinedstructurethedatabaseisattempting

togrowitsownontology,producedbythosewhouseit-Indigenous

Australians.Hence,theIKRMNAprojectworldisattemptingtoavoidany

hardwiredWesternassumptionsaboutrealitythatarecommoninmany

digitalarchives.12Moreover,theinterfaceoftheIKRMANdatabasewas

developedtobesimilartocommoninternetbrowserssuchasInternet

ExplorerandNetscapeNavigator.13Searchenquiriesarerequiredtobe

typedintoawhitefieldandresultsaredisplayedwiththeirdescriptionand

aniconrepresentingthetypeofobject(text,audioand/orvideo).

CentraltotheenactmentoftheIKRMNAprojectworldareotherroutines

informedbythefigureoflocalknowledgeproduction.Yol\upeopleare

involvedinallaspectsoftheproject14andYol\umetaphorsinformthe

project’smethodology15.Themainforumswheretheproject’strajectoriesare

setareworkshopsopentoallparticipants16,andthesiteswheretheproject

canbeboughttolifewithinthecontextofitsuse,suchasGarmaand

11 Ibid. p 92. The notion of no distinction between design and use was expressed to me at Garma 2004 by Bevan Koopman as a common understanding within software development. 12 IKRMNA, 2002, “Australian Research Council Linkage-Projects (Round Two): Application form for Funding Commencing 2003”, p49 Michael Christie, 2004, “Computer Databases and Aboriginal Knowledge”, unpublished, p 4, and for a more general discussion see, Geoffery Bowker, n.d., “Keeping Knowledge Local”, unpublished. 13 Jane Hunter, Bevan Koopman, and Jane Sledge, 2002, “Software Tools for Indigenous Knowledge Management”, retrieved from www.dtsc.edu.au during July 2004, p 12. 14 IKRMNA, 2004, “About the project”, retrieved from www.cdu.edu.ai/ik/about on 29.09.04, and IKRMNA, 2002, p 48, 51. 15 Specifically IKRMNA uses the metaphor of djarrma, the native rat, “who runs back and forth through all the tunnels under the ground, busily taking news and opinions from person to person, group to group”, Raymattja Marika, 2004, in IKRMNA, “What we Do”, retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/whatwedo.html on 14.10.2004. 16 IKRMNA, 2002, Australian Research Council Linkage-Projects (Round Two): Application form for Funding Commencing 2003, p 49 and IKRMNA, 2004, “About the Project”, retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/about.html.

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Larrakia(thelandaroundDarwin)17arecentral.Lastly,anexhibitionofthe

developmentoftheprojectremainsavailableonitswebsite18.

TheIKRMNAjustificatorynarrativesareonesofIndigenousself

determinationinAustralia.AswellasforegroundingIndigenouscontrolover

knowledge,theprojectregeneratesmovementtowardsIndigenouscontrol

overeducationandlandownershipandmanagement.19IKRMNAemphasizes

theimportanceofIndigenousenvironmentalknowledge,enlisting

internationalbiodiversityagreementsbindingtheAustralianGovernment.20

ThecommitmenttoIndigenouslandownershipismanifestinthe

institutionalrelationshipforgedbetweenIKRMNAandtheNorthernLand

Council,whichhasastatutoryresponsibilitytohelpIndigenouspeople

managethelandtowhichtheyclaimownership.21

Theseroutinesofsociality,textualityandmateriality,andtheirsupporting

imaginaries,whichIhavehelpedbundledtogetherastheIKRMNAproject

world,sustainedthreesubprojectsatGarma2004.Iwilllabelthethree

subprojectsbytheirhumanactors:theRMITstudents’subproject,Mark

Yi\ya’ssubprojectandJennyWulumdhuna’ssubproject.Eachsubproject

workedtoproducedataitemsforadatabase.Dataitemsarenot

knowledge,theyareinformation.Wecanthinkofthemasinscriptionsor

recordedstatementswhichareproducedwithinasiteofknowledge

production.AccordingtoJosephRouse,thesepracticesof‘surveillanceand

recording’arecriticalinthepoliticalworkknowledgeproduction.22

However,forthese“in-herestatements”23tobeunderstoodasknowledge

theymustresonatewithandramifyintosanctionedroutinesofknowledge

production.Moreover,theseresonancesandramificationsare

transformatory-theyconstructtheworldstheystudy.24Inthecaseof

17 IKRMNA, 2004, “Garma 2004”, retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/db_garma.html, and “Larrakia 'Gulumerrgin' subproject”, retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/db_larrakia.html 18 see www.cdu.edu.au/ik 19 IKRMNA, 2002, p 46-52. 20 IKRMNA, 2004a, p 1, IKRMNA, 2002, p 48 and 51. 21 IKRMNA, 2002, p 52. 22 Joseph Rouse, 1987, Knowledge and Power: towards a political philosophy of science, Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, p 215. 23 John Law, 2004, “Scientific Practices”, After Method: mess in social science research, Routledge, Oxfordshire and New York. 24 Ibid, p 211.

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research,theseroutines,whichareoftenmessyandnotalwayscoherent,

arecalledmethods.

Myshiftinemphasisfromprojectworldstomethods,isanenactmentof

myownethnographicmethod.Amethodmoreover,thatIamusingtodo

particulartypeofwork.Ihaveusedtheembodiedmircoworldtheoryto

flattenmyaccountoftheinstitutionalpositionofbothmyresearchandthe

IKRMNAproject.Indoingso,Ihaveforegroundedthenetworkofroutines

ofsociality,materialityandtextualitywhichconstitutetheprojectworld.A

focusonroutinepracticesasthegenerativeactivitieswithinsitesoflocal

knowledgeproductionenablesmetoproduceanaccountofsameness

betweenthedifferentformsofknowledgeproductioninformingthe

differentsubprojects.However,Inowwishtoattendtothesedifferences,

andtodosoIwishtoforegroundmethod.Thisisapoliticalsteponmy

behalf.Iamusingmymethodtoattributeothermethodsonparticular

practices.

IntellingastoryofdifferentmethodsIwanttoembraceandpresenta

formasymmetryinmyaccountwhichavoidsnotionsofsuccessandfailure,

andtruthandfalsity.25TheRMITstudentsdidproducedataitems(their

transcripts)whereasWulumdhunaandYi\iyadidnot.However,itwasnota

failureoftheYol\utoembracethetechnology,notwasitthewisdomof

theRMITstudentsthatallowedthemtousethedatabase.Rather,each

subprojectproducedknowledgedifferently.Whetherornotthein-here

statementsofthedataitemsweresuccessfullyproducedwasdependenton

theabilityoftheIKRMNAprojectworldatGarma2004tosupportthe

differentmethodsofthethreesubprojects.Tocapturethesenseinwhich

thesemethodsarenotsimplytheactionsofhumansbutformsof

institutionalrelationships,andthematerialconfigurationsandtextual

propertiesofnon-humansthatinhabitourresearchworldsLawdefinesthe

term“methodassemblage.”26Law’sdefinition:

“Methodassemblagesmaybeseenasthecraftingofahinterlandof

ramifyingrelationsthatdistinguishbetween:(a)‘in-here’statements,

25 Bruno Latour, 1996, “Do Scientific Objects Have a History? Pasteur and Whitehead in a Bath of Lactic Acid”, Common Knowledge, vol 5, 76-91, p 79. 26 John Law, 2004, p 38-42.

13

dataordepictions…;(b)the‘out-there’realitiesreflectedinthose

in-herestatements;and(c)anendlessramificationofprocessesand

contexts‘out-there’thatarebothnecessarytowhatisin-hereand

invisibletoit.”27

ThehinterlandsoftheresearchfortheRMITstudentsincludetheircontract

withtheYothuYindiFoundation,theFestivalProgramwhichlistedwhat

theyweretorecord,andtheroutinesoftranscriptionandthetechnologies

requiredtodoso.ForYi\iyaandWulumdhuna,theirhinterlandswherethe

digitalvideocamerasandvideotapes,theirclanandmoietyaffiliation,28and

theirpositioninthelocalkinshipsystemcalledGurru=u.AccordingtoLaw

knowledgeproductionisabout“theorchestrationofsuitableandsustainable

hinterlands.”29Thatis,theroutinesofknowledgeproductionproduce,and

mostoftenreproduce,arealityitself:areality“out-there”toreflectthe“in-

herestatements”.30Hence,aninabilitytoproducedataitemsisa

consequenceoftheimpossibilityofenactingroutinesnecessaryfora

particularkindofknowledgeproduction.InLaw’sterms,itistheabsence

ofasustainedandsuitablehinterland.Inowwishtolookateach

subprojectinturn.

TheRMITstudentsproduceinherestatementswhichwereaudiorecordings

andtexttranscriptionsoftheForumandMusicSymposium.Lawargues

thatthereality‘out-there’constructedbyWesternsocialsciencein

particular,isonethatisindependentinrelationtotheresearchersand

method,anteriorinitstemporality,definiteinitsreach,andsingularinits

existence.31TheRMITstudents’subprojectcanbemappedontothis

Westernsocialscienceontology.Independenceandanterioritywere

achievedbythedeploymentofparticulartechnologies:theMiniDisc

recorders,Dictaphones,andlaptops.Theserecordingdevicescomfortably

supportthemetaphorofknowledgeasrepresentationwhichispervasivein

Westernculture.32Thisassumptionwasreproducedintheproductionof

27 Ibid. p 42. 28 The Yol\u people are divided into 16 land owning groups called clans, who are the descendents of the ancestral beings who created the world and everything in it. The Entire Yol\uuniverse is divided into two moieties called Dhuwa and Yirritja. 29 John Law, 2004, p 29. 30 Ibid. p 42. 31 Ibid. p 24-25. 32 Michael Christie, 2003, p 4.

14

transcripts,whereEnglishwordswereassumedtoprovideaccurate

representationsoftheForums.Theparticularworkdonebythese

technologiesinproducing“endlessramificationprocesses”isbesttraced

throughtheeventsinwhichitfailed.Oneofthefirstproblems

encounteredwasthefactthatsomeoftheMiniDiscrecorderswipedthe

informationfromthemedia,andotherMinidiscsweresimplylost.Asone

studentsaidtome-

“We’vehadmajorhassleswithalloursound.Minidiscsarebeing

wiped,andwe’vehadtousecassettessothat[transcribing]might

havetohappenlater.It’sprettycrazy…fromMelbournewe’ll

transposesomeMiniDiscfiles.Thecassettes,Idonnowhatwe’re

gonnado.Itshouldwork.”

Inthiscommentthestudentacknowledgesthatinsolvingtheproblemof

themalfunctioningMiniDiscrecorderstheyhavesteppedoutsidethe

establishedhinterlandoftheIKRMNAproject:theystartedusing

Dictaphoneswhichproduceanalogueinformationnotdigital.Tosolvethis

theywillhavetogenerateanappropriatehinterland“fromMelbourne.”‘In

here’statementsinEnglishalsoprovedproblematicbecauseoftenwords

couldnotbediscernedfromtherecordingorwordsappearedforwhichno

oneknewthecorrectspelling.Inresponsetotheseconddifficultly,the

studentsmadealistofwordsthatneededtobespeltcorrectly,planningto

findsomeonetocorrectitbytheendoftheconference.Another

difficultywassustainingthesupplyof240voltalternatecurrentpower.

Eachdaytheonsitegeneratorsneededtoberefueled,andwereswitched

offforthisprocess.Occasionallycomputersranoutofbatteries,disrupting

thesmoothproductionofthein-herestatements.

ThemessyworkingsoftheRMITsubprojectdidhowever,continueto

producetranscriptions.Onthefinaldayofthefestival,thecoordinator,

Beck,satdownwithanotherstudentCaroline,tomarkoffwhathadbeen

done.

B:“Soyoudid...Justtellmewhichonesyou’vedoneandhowfaryou’vegot”

15

C:“Ididthat.”(PointingtoanitemontheFestivalProgramheldopeninfrontofbothofthem).“Andthat’sfinished.”(pointingtoanother)B:“Andyou’vedonethat”C:“Yeah”B:“Sodoyouhaveit?”C:“Yeah.”B:“Sothatone’sfinished.Canyougivemethediskback?...Thankyou.Okay,Saturday.Thisone,numberten?”C:“We’retypingallofthatout.Musicsymposium.Donethat,numberseventeen.”

HerethestudentsareusingtheFestivalProgramasalistwhichaidsthe

definitionoftheworldoutthere.AccordingtoBowkerandStarlistsarea

genreofrepresentationandconsideredafoundationalactivityinWestern

worlds.33BeckholdsthelistandCarolineholdsthedisksencodedwithher

transcriptions.Thereisnodoubtthattheworldtheyare

researching/producingisdefinite.Nopartoftheworldescapesthe

transcriptionoritsdescriptioncopiedfromtheFestivalProgram.Thisworld

issingular.Sopervasivearetheseassumptionsofindependence,anteriority,

definitenessandsingularitythatonetranscriptionincludedthestatement

“(Note:Thefollowingisnottheexactwordsofthespeakersbutasummary

ofwhattheyweretalkingabout.)”34Thisgenreofrepresentationmoreover,

embodiedintheFestivalProgram,canbeunderstoodasa“figure”inthe

RMITsubproject.Figures“simultaneouslyexplain,justifyandchoreograph

realitiesmageintheirimage”35Thatis,theyarethecentralbranches

betweenthemethodassemblageanditshinterland.GeofferyBowkerhas

describedaformofarchivingcalleda“regimeofparticularity”which

includeslistsortreesasitsfigures.36Thisregimeisthe“theartofthe

particular-anysurrogateisacounterfeit,andtocounterfeitisdeath.”37

EachForumorSymposiumisrecordedandmarkedoffontheProgram.The

listwasslowlycompleted,explainingtheRMITsubprojectandtheworldit

33 Bowker and Star, 1999, p 137-8. 34 IKRMNA, 2004, Garma Forum 2004: ~uku-nherra]Romnha{^lkuma:IndigenousLivelihoodsandLeadershipSessionthirteen:IndigenousLivelihoodsandMining,IKRMNA,Gulkula,p3 35 Verran, 2004a, p 21. 36 Geoffery Bowker, no date b, “Time Money and Biodiversity”, unpublished.

16

described,andstructuringthematerialandsocialconfigurationsof

knowledgeproductionwhichwerenecessarytoproducethetranscriptions.

LetusnowturntoYi\iya’ssub-project.Here’sastoryfromthesecondlast

day.

Yi\iya,BryceandIsitonthefloorinsidetheCDUdo\a.Weare

watchingYi\iya’sfootageofaBu\gul.Anotherman,John,sits

oppositeusreading.

Yi\iyasaysthatclaneldersmustcontroltheeditingprocess.

Particularplacesmustbevisited.Icouldnotdiscerniftheseplaces

werethehomelandsoftheelders,orplacesimportanttothe

knowledgeinquestion.IfBryceisgoingtobeapartofthishewill

requirepermits.

ConversationturnstohowthefootageofalltheGarmaBu\guls

shouldbeorganizedforviewingbytheelders.Yi\iyawantsonedisk

foreachclan,withtheBu\gulsorderedbyday.

“Gupapuy\u..dayone,two,three,four...“

“GumatjBu\gulone,two,three,andfour.”

Weallturntothefootageinquestion.Yi\iya’shasfilmedthebody

paintdesignsusedforthebu\gulandotherpartsofpreparation.

Duringthebu\gulhehasrecordedtheaudienceaswellastheYol\u

elderswhowerepresent.Mostofhisfootageisveryclosetothe

performers.BryceasksYi\iyawhyheissoclose.Hisansweristhat

herneedstobeclosetorecordthesingers,especiallyjustonevoice

sothewordsareclearlyheard.Afterall,Yi\iyapointsout,students

maywanttotranscribethesesongsandtheymustnotmake

mistakes.

BrycetellsYi\iyathathedoesnothavetoworryaboutthesound

becauseAaronisrecordingit.

“HasYi\iyametAaron?”,Johnasksusall.

37 Ibid, p 8.

17

“HaveyoumetAaron?”,Bryceasks.

Yi\iyashakeshishead.

“HewaswithNeparr\a(aseniorGupapuy\uman)”,oneofthemen

informYi\ayinwhoremainsunsure:eitherofwhetherheknows

Aaronorofsplittingsoundandpicture

BryceaddsthathethinksitwouldbebetterifYi\iyafilmedfroma

rangeofdistances.Yi\iyaisnoteasilyconvincedandsaysheknows

everyoneinvolvedintheBu\gulandcansitwiththesingers,unlike

Bryce(nevertheless,Yi\yausedatripodpositionedoffthebu\gul

groundthefollowingday).Yi\iyaalsoknowswhatisbeingboughtto

theBu\gul.Onthesecondday,Yi\iyainformsus,anobjectwas

boughttheBu\gul.Thisobjectwasbothapaintingandaman,and

wearebesttothinkof‘daytwo’as‘catfishday’.Thispointopens

upanothersphereoftheconversation.

“CatfishDay?”,asksBryce,gettinghispenattheready.

Yi\iyacontinuestoexplain.Dayoneisyukuwa(yam),daytwois

munburri(catfish),daythreeisgumbarr(emu),allofwhicharepart

oftheMurayanaseries.Brycewritesthisdown,confirming

pronunciationandspellingashegoes.

AtthatmomentthevideodisplaysGumatjmenjoiningintheYukuwa

dancebeingperformedbytheGupapuy\u.BrycelooksatYi\iya.

Thisisexpected,Yi\iyareassuresus.

“GumatjhaveYukuwaandMurayana”.

Yi\iyathenpointsoutthatYukuwaisnowbeingdancedwith

Munburri.

ThereisapauseinconversationandsoonwedriftbacktoYi\iya’s

project.

Yi\iyagetstothepoint.Hewantsthreecopiesofeachrecording,

eachonenumbered,sohecangivethemtotheelders.Hewants

themonDVDifpossiblebecausehemightwanttopauseand

capturestillimages,whichisnotpossibleusingVHS.

18

BryceasksifYi\iyaisinterestedincontinuingthisprojectoverthe

nextfewyears.

Hemostdefinitelyis.

Oncethetapesaremade,Yi\yacontinues,hewantsthestories

relatingtothevideostobewrittendown.However,Yi\yasays

tellingYol\upeoplewhathewantstodowilltakealongtime

because‘wedonotlearnthroughobservingandaskingquestions.

Theytellstorieswhentheywantto’.

Yi\iyaalsowantshisowncameraandcomputer.Hewantstobeable

toeditathome.AtpresentBrycemusttraveltoothehomelandsto

visitYi\iyaandtheelders.

Hewantstoshowpeople“thewaysourpeoplesee”.Yi\iyawantsto

dothisusingvideofootageandcomputers.

Bryceagrees.“Yol\ushouldbeincontrol...youshouldbe...self

sufficient?”

“Autonomous”,Isuggest.

Yi\iya’smethodassemblageinhabitedadifferenthinterlandtothatofthe

RMITstudents.WheretheRMITstudentshadformedarelationshipwith

theYothuYindiFoundation,Yi\iyaattendedGarma2004duetohis

relationshipwithoneoftheFestival’smajorparticipants-theGupapuy\u

clan.YingiyahadbeeninvitedbyGupapuy\uelderstorecordtheirbu\gul

atGarma,andhewantedtoshowthefewGupapuy\uwhodidnotattend

theFestivaltheirclan’sperformance.38Inturn,theGupapuy\uweremade

welcomebytheGumatjclanwhoowntheGulkulaEstatewithinwhichthe

Festivalwasheld.Hence,similartomanyotheraccountsofYol\u

knowledgemaking39,thecentralfigureinYi\iya’sresearchwasGurru=u,the

38 IKRMNA, 2004, “Garma 2004” retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/centres/ik/db_garma.html on 14.10.04. 39 Verran, Helen, 2004b, “Chapter One: An Odd Beginning”, The Dreaming and Sciences, unpublished, 1-27, Helen Verran, 2002, A Post Colonial Moment in Science Studies: Alternative Firing

19

kinshipsystem(whichdefinesreciprocalrelationshipsbetweenboth

individualsandclans).Thiswasalsoevidentinthedescriptionofanother

researcher,AaronCorn,byhiskinrelationfirstandforemost.Yi\iya’s

interestwasguidedbywhatmaybeconsideredusefulinformationfor

reproducinganunderstandingoftheFestivaltoparticularpeoplein

particularplaces.Inproducinginformationwhichallowedforthisparticular

practiceofknowledgeproduction,Yi\iyarecordedtheBu\gulindetail.He

recordedtheobjectsboughttothebu\gul,thebodypaintdesigns,the

wordsofsongs(manikay),themusicandthepeoplewhowerepresent.

Thevideocameraprovedflexibleenoughtocapturethesevariousaspects

toYini\asatisfaction.However,itisnottheseindividualdetailsthatare

importanttoandrememberedinYol\uknowledge,buttheconnections

betweenthem.40Thereasonwhytheserecordings,these‘inhere’

statements,didnotbecomedataitemswasbecauseGupapuy\uelders

neededtocontroltheireditinganddescription,andtheseelderswereback

atMillingimbi,afulldaysdriveandbargejourneyfromFestivalsite.

Tosimplyregardthisrequirementasoneofpolitenessorrespectonbehalf

ofYi\iyawouldimposetheWesternmetaphorofknowledgeas

representationontothissituation.Infact,Yol\uknowledgeinhabitsan

entirelydifferentmetaphysicsfromthatofWesternsocialandnatural

sciences.Yol\guknowledge“isintheground,itlivesinthecountry,itis

embodiedinpeople,relationshipsandperformance.”41Hence,wherethe

Westernviewunderstandstheworldasconsistingofspatiallylocated,

boundedmatterwhichcanberepresented,theYol\uuniverseconsistsof

“typesofrelationsbetweennamedelements”42whicharerenewedand

remadethroughperformances.43Moreover,theYol\uknowledgeeconomyis

baseduponsecrecy.Knowledge,andhenceparticularperformancesof

knowledgeproductionorritual,issharedamongsttheYol\uwithinrelations

ofgender,clanandmoietyaffiliation,andinitiation.44JohnLawarguesthat

withintheirmetaphysics,whereknowledgeisremadethroughperformance,

Regimes of Environmental Scientists and Aboriginal Landowners”, Social Studies of Science, 32(5-6), 729-762. 40 Verran in Law, 2004, p 129. 41 Christie, 2003, p 1. 42 Verran, Helen with the community at Yirrkala and with David Wade Chambers, 1993, Singing the Land, Signing the Land, Melbourne: Deakin University, p 15.43 John Law, 2004, p 130. 44 Law, 2004, p 128, and Ian Keen,, 1994, Knowledge and Secrecy in an Aboriginal Region: Yol\u of North-East Arnhem Land, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p 2

20

theYol\u(andotherIndigenousAustralians)managesecrecybymaintaining

multiplerealities.45Hence,LawdescribesanAustralianAboriginalmethod

assemblageasonethatis;

“capableofenactinganontologicalmultiplicitythatcomescloseto

ontologicaldisjuncture.Itachievesthisbecausethereisnouniversal

orgeneral,insteadeverythingisrelativelyspecific,relatively‘local’,

enactedatparticularplacesonparticularoccasions.Becausetheseis

nooverallprivilege.Thismeansthatthatwhichisnotclearisnot

necessarilywaitingtobemadeclear.Perhapsitisdiffuse,of

marginalconcern,andthereforehardlyexistsandcanbeleft

indefinite.”46

This“ontologicalmultiplicity”(allowedforbyYi\iyainnotcompletingdata

items)inundatesanynetworkwithinwhichananterior,definiteandsingular

worldmayexist,andpreventsitspossibility.Moreover,theYol\u

knowledgesystemexplicitlyrequiresdependenceonthevarioussocial

relationshipswithinwhichknowledgeisproduced.Theonlypossibility,

arguesLaw,foranyformofsingularityisaverylocalsingularityestablished

throughexplicitnegotiation.47ThisnegotiationiswhattheGupapuy\u

elderswouldhopefullyprovide.Moreover,thesenegotiatedenactments

embodypracticesthatdeemsomeinformationmoreimportantthanother

information,whichremains“marginal”.Theprocessesofknowledge

productionwhichcondensemultipleregistriesofinformationintooneis

whatBowkercallsthe“regimeofimplosion”48(incontrasttotheregimeof

particularityusedbytheRMITstudents).Thefigureheusesinhis

descriptionismoney,whichworkstocondensethemultiplefacetsofan

ecosystem,itsbiodiversity,intoasinglemeasurablevalue.However,for

sucharegimetoallowYi\iyatoproducedataitems,socialandmaterial

relationsdifferenttothosepresentwithintheIKRMNAprojectworldat

Garma2004,hadtobeestablished.Thiswasnotthecase,andthis

frustrationwasexpressedbyYi\iyainhiswishforhisowncameraand

computersohecouldbuildhismethodassemblageoutoftheappropriate

hinterlandofhiscommunity.

45 Law, 2004, 135. 46 Ibid. p 137-8. 47 Ibid. p 128. 48 Bowker, n.d. b.

21

Wulumdhunaontheotherhand,maderecordingsthatdidnotrequirethe

samelevelofmanagementineditingasYi\iya.Followingherinterestsin

herownclan,theGumatj,Wulumdhunadidmanagetosustainahinterland

thatjoinedoneofYol\uknowledgeproductionandtheIKRMANproject

world.Shewasauthorizedtoeditherrecordingsherself.Themainreasons

forhernotcompletingdataitemswerehertimecommitmentsduetoher

positionasanimportantFestivalparticipant,andthedifficultyofeditingin

thesmallclearingintheCDUdo\a.Evenwhenusingheadphones,

Wulumdhunacouldnotheartherecordingasclearlyasshelikedduetothe

noiseofthemanyotherusersoftheCDUdo\a.WulumdhunaisaGumatj

woman.However,shedoesnotoftencometoGulkula.Thisyearshemet

her‘secondfarther’JoeDjalalingba,whowasaseniorGumatjman.During

theFestivalWulumdhunainterviewedDjalalingba.Sherecoderedthese

interviews,whichconcernedsometraditionalbusinessofinteresttothe

Gumatj,whichWulumdhunawantedtoshowherfatherandotherGumatj

people.49UsingavideocameraandaLandCruiser,Wulumdhuna,John

GreatorexandJoeDjalalingbavisitedimportantGuamtjsitesontheGulkula

estate.Thestoriesmainlyfocusedonplacenamesandlandtenure.50In

visitingtheseplaceswithJoeDjalalingba,Wulumdhunaandhersubproject

werelocatedwithinacontextsupportedbytheYol\uunderstandingsof

knowledge(asrelatedtoland,clanaffiliationandpersonalseniority).

Moreover,itwasalsoabletobesupportedwithintheIKRMNAproject

worldattheFestival.Herinterestinherownclan’sknowledgeandhervisit

toGumatjlanddefinedamethodassemblagethatavoidedusingaregime

ofparticularitywithitsinvisibleassumptionsaboutrealityandshortcircuited

someofthehardworkrequiredinaregimeofimplosion.Hence,through

thespecificnegotiationsofhersocialpositionandthematerialconfiguration

offeredtoherbytheIKRMNAprojectworld,shewasabletoproducea

highlycontingent,localsingularity,assuggestedbyLaw.

Inconclusion,Wulumdhuna’ssubprojectcanbeunderstoodaslocatedsome

wherebetweenYi\iya’ssubprojectandtheRMITsubproject.Itcouldbe

consideredasahybrid,producingaworldouttherethatwassingular,and

perhapsdefinite,(similartotheRMITsubproject),whilemaintaininga

49 IKRMNA, 2004, “Garma 2004”. 50 Op cit.

22

contingencyuponYol\uknowledgesystems(similartoYi\ya’ssubproject).

This‘bridging’ofdifferencewasmadepossiblebyestablishingasamenessin

myaccountsofthethreesubprojects.Thiswasachievedbyfocusingon

routinepracticesasthegenerativeactsofknowledgeproductionineachof

thethreemethodassemblages.Inforegroundingstoriesofthehereand

nowoflocalpractices,withincontextoftheIKRMNAprojectworld,the

differencesrelatingtotheincompatiblemetaphysicsofWesternandYol\u

worlds,canbeunderstoodasdegreesinestablishingdifferentresearch

hinterlands.Insidesteppingadirectanalysisofthemetaphysicaldifferences,

thisaccountfallsshortofanyfullandperhapsjustaccountofeitherworld

views.Nevertheless,themethodsIhaveusedinattributingmethodsand

methodassemblagestowhatIexperiencedatGarma2004hasallowedme

totellastorythataccommodatesdifferenceinthedoingsofproducing

dataitemsinthecontextofIndigenousknowledgeresourcemanagement.

Acknowledgements

ImustthankHelenVerranforgivingmetheopportunitytowritethispaper

andhersupportthroughoutitsproduction.Iwouldalsoliketothank

MarciaLangtonfororganizingtheprogramwhichallowedmetoattend

GarmaandtoJoy,MaryandMarkfromSAGESforgivingmeafuller

experienceoftheFestivalandthearea.ThankyoualsotoMichaleChristie,

BryceKing,BevanKoopmanandJohnGreatorexforinvolvingmeinthe

IKRMNAproject,andtoJennyWulumdhuna,MarkYingiyaandalltheRMIT

23

studentswhoaccommodatedmyinterferencewithfriendlinessandpatience,

andoftentookthetimetohelpmeunderstand.

References:

Bowker, Geoffery C and Starr, Susan Leigh, 1999, Sorting Things Out: classification and its consequences, MIT Press, Cambridge and Landon. Bowker, Geoffery, no date a, “Keeping Knowledge Local”, unpublished. Bowker, Geoffery, no date b, “Time Money and Biodiversity”, unpublished. Christie, Michael, 2003, “Databases which support rather than inhibit Australian Aboriginal ways of knowing and making knowledge”, ARC Linkage Project Seminar, September 24, 2003, Charles Darwin University. Christie, Michael, 2004, “Computer Databases and Aboriginal Knowledge”, unpublished. Hunter J, Koopman B, and Sledge J, 2002, “Software Tools for Indigenous Knowledge Management”, retrieved from www.dtsc.edu.au during July 2004. IKRMNA, 2002, “Australian Research Council Linkage-Projects (Round Two): Application form for Funding Commencing 2003”, unpublished. IKRMNA, 2004a, “Indigenous Knowledge Management Northern Australian: making collective memory with computers”, unpublished. IKRMNA, 2004b, “Indigenous Knowledge Management Northern Australian: making collective memory with computers”, website retrieved from http://www.cdu.edu.au/ik on 10.10.04. IKRMNA, 2004c, Garma Forum 2004: ~uku-nherra]Romnha{^lkuma: Indigenous Livelihoods and Leadership Session thirteen: Indigenous Livelihoods and Mining, IKRMNA, Gulkula. Keen, Ian, 1994, Knowledge and Secrecy in an Aboriginal Region: Yol\u of North-East Arnhem Land, Oxford: Clarendon Press. Latour, Bruno, 1996, “Do Scientific Objects Have a History? Pasteur and Whitehead in a Bath of Lactic Acid”, Common Knowledge, vol 5, 76-91. Latour, Bruno, 1999, Pandora’s Hope: essays on the reality of Science Studies, Havard University Press, Cambridge and London. Law, John, 2004, After Method: mess in social science research, Routledge, Oxfordshire and New York. Rouse, Joseph, 1987, Knowledge and Power: towards a political philosophy of science, Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London.

24

Suchman, Lucy, 2002, “Located Accountabilities in Technology Production”, Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, 14(2), p 91-108. Verran, Helen with the community at Yirrkala and with David Wade Chambers, 1993, Singing the Land, Signing the Land, Melbourne: Deakin University. Verran, Helen, 2002, “A Post Colonial Moment in Science Studies: Alternative Firing Regimes of Environmental Scientists and Aboriginal Landowners”, Social Studies of Science, 32(5-6), 729-762. Verran, Helen, 2004a, “A Nineteenth Century British Investigation”, in Doing the Nature of Australia, unpublished. Verran, Helen, 2004b, “Chapter One: An Odd Beginning”, The Dreaming and Sciences, unpublished.