Birgitte SB wrote:
You certainly may do your best to restrict "access" to
the end product as you are planning. This is what
many libraries do regarding rare PD texts. However if
*one* person who is given access decides for any
reason to make a copy public, the cat is out of the
bag. For example a library may have strong
restrictions on access. They do not allow their
material scanned or photocopied you are only allowed
to read it within one room. However I could type a
transcription on a laptop over the course of several
weeks and put it on Wikisource. Assuming this
material is in the public domain, the library can do
nothing in such in event as they only own the
particular book not the copyright.
This could one day happen to the Ute's works. Once it
is made public in part or whole, it can be treated in
any way allowed under the GFDL. The foundation has no
control over it, however respectful they wish to be.
I am not trying to encourage action of this sort. But
everyone involved needs to be aware of the
ramifications of using copyleft material. This may
seem an unlikely possibilty at the moment, but over
time it more likely than not this material will become
public. Although it may be a hundred years till that
happens. I respect what you are trying to do and the
Ute as well. I would hate for something like this to
happen and the Ute to feel blindsided by such a turn
of events.
That's the Ute's issue to manage, not mine or the Foundations. I am here
to promote the pervasiveness of WP content and bring to the Native Peoples.
What thye do with it is their own affair. I expect it will become public
at some
point, but that's not my call.
I am not trying to miscontrue your comments, please
correct me where I have. I believe it is too easy to
say "the Wikipedia way is alien to the culture of X
and they will not be able to work under it's
policies." Because X can be filled with many things
which *have* adapted to WP culture. As I said above
WP is very contrary to capitalist and academic
cultures. Although there are always individuals who
cannot adapt, I do not like to see this generalized to
an entire culture. However, I always found it easy
to work within the policies here, so it I may be
completely wrong in this.
Wikipedia has been around for 6 years, Native Cultures have been around
for about 12,000 years.
I expect we will still be here 1,000 years from now. Hopefully so will
WP, but I expect it will
evolve over time and little resemble what we have today in 1,000 years.
Our people (and most tribes)
have a very long term view of things, and those views are not easily
influenced by next years
internet fad. :-)
That being said, the fact that several Native Tribes is willing to
support such a projects with WP content
is a huge endorsement of the project and the site. The Foundation should
be very proud of itself.
Jeff