Opening the doorway to ancient

knowledge: Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander cultural knowledge and

the AIATSIS archive

Lyndall Ley Osborne

AIATSIS acknowledges the traditional owners of

country throughout Australia and their

continuing connection to land, culture and

community. We pay our respects to elders past

and present.

Today I in particular acknowledge the traditional

owners of the country on which we meet and

recognise their continual custodianship of the

land – past present and future.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander peoples should be

aware that this presentation may

contain images or names of

deceased persons in

photographs or printed material.

http://www.50yearjourney.aiatsis.gov.au/

‘As an intergenerational

keeping place for

Indigenous Australians

the AIATSIS collection is

significant across all four

categories – historic,

artistic/aesthetic,

research/scientific, and

social/spiritual – and

remains the most

extensive and best

contextualised collection

of Indigenous Australia in

the world. It is a site of

pilgrimage.’

Veronica Bullock – Significance

International August 2014

This unique diptych is a symbolic public rendition of the Warlpiri Fire Ceremony

(initiation) and is of great artistic and aesthetic merit, but it is also of the highest

historic significance: these two canvases were the first large paintings intended to

be sold on the art market and herald the entry of the Warlpiri into the modern world

of art. The works, known formally as “Toyota Dreamings”, were painted in 1984.

approx. 675,000 images

40,000 hours of sound

more than 5,000 video titles

850 film titles or 6.25 million feet of film

3,000 artworks or material culture objects

more than 176,000 published items

around 13,700 manuscripts and record series

First known published image of a corroboree (near Newcastle) from

Corrobborree : or dance of the natives of New South Wales, New Holland [picture] Preston, W. (Walter)

A group photo taken during the filming of 'The Spear in the Stone', Ngilipitji, Arnhem Land, N.T., 1981.

Photographer Rhys Jones. AIATSIS Ref. JONES.R19.CS-000148411

Luise Hercus recording Mick McLean at a camp site near Lake Eyre, SA, 1966. Photographer: Isobel White. AIATSIS Ref. WHITE.I09.CS-000117538

Boats, fish; native fauna and flora, 1880s. Artist Mickey of Ulladulla

Songline from Forget about Flinders: a Yanyuwa atlas of the South West Gulf of Carpentaria

Yanuwa people, John Bradley and Nona Cameron.

Men of the Fourth Contingent, Queensland Imperial Bushmen, who returned from the Boer War August 1901

One of the few known Aboriginal soldiers, name unknown

Tintype photographic portrait of young Aboriginal woman

c1860-1880

Sorry Books 1988

Francis Birtles in foreground and two Aboriginal men alongside Birtles’ Oldsmobile, c1910.

AIATSIS Ref. BIRTLES.F24.BW-F00005263

“In many instances this is the only location of an endangered language recording, an ancestor’s photograph, or stories on how life was. It is a storehouse of unique and incalculable value to the Indigenous communities which are described and to which the knowledge belongs. It requires the most respectful, ethical and careful handling, and preservation forever.”

40% video titles 37% film titles (32% film reels) 34% photo collections (22% of images) 55% audio collections (75% sound hours) 82% priority manuscripts (38% of pages) 1.4% of manuscripts 10% rare serials <0.1% of serials 12% rare books <1 % books 0% microforms <6% kits 14% of rare pamphlets, maps, posters

http://atsilirn.aiatsis.gov.au/protocols.php

Using the

archiveOur collection mostly

holds items that

are permitted to be

shared by communities to

help educate and build

awareness about

Australia's Indigenous

cultures. However, it also

includes restricted

knowledge and sacred

items that are not

available to be viewed

except by the appropriate

Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander people.

Photo caption: Mulluk Mulluk boy with pelican captured

on the river. Daly River region, NT, c1935.

AIATSIS Ref. STANNER.W10.BW-N01008_05

Left: Mervyn Japanangka Rubuntja looking through AILC

material at the AIATSIS Library. (photo: Andrew

Babington/AIATSIS)

Below: Gloria Napurrurla Pannka looking through AILC

material at the AIATSIS Library

(photo: Andrew Babington/AIATSIS)

To use the

collection you

can…

search the collection online

see digitised collection items and online exhibitions

ask us a question about items in the collection

request copies of items to be sent to you

request collection items be returned to community, or

visit the Reading Room to view original collection items and conduct further research.

Recording session undertaken by Alice Moyle of the 'Blue Tongue Corroboree', Oenpelli, NT,

1960s AIATSIS Ref. MOYLE.A01.DF-D00003039. Photographer, Alice Moyle.

Categories of access and use

Access

• Onsite research and study (reading, viewing or listening only)

• Copying for research and study (onsite or remotely)

Use

• Any form of public dissemination, including print publication,

broadcast, telecast, web publication (including social media),

conference presentations, performing a work, quotation, etc.

• Making an adaptation of an item, e.g. translating, arranging or

transcribing, creative reuse

Access and use of sensitive material

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ABORIGINAL AND TORRES

STRAIT ISLANDER STUDIES ACT 1989 - SECTION 41

1. Where information or other matter has been deposited with the

Institute under conditions of restricted access, the Institute or the

Council shall not disclose that information or other matter except

in accordance with those conditions.

2. The Institute or the Council shall not disclose information or other

matter held by it (including information or other matter covered by

subsection (1)) if that disclosure would be inconsistent with the

views or sensitivities of relevant Aboriginal persons or Torres

Strait Islanders.

This section of the website showcases online

exhibitions using contextualised collection materials

photographs, audio or moving image, lists of additional resources

Online exhibitions showcase topics and issues using contextualised collection materials:

Digitised collections showcase around

120,000 pages of primary content

Active social media presence draws attention to and shares

resources, publications, seminars, research and events

Rights

management

Crowd sourcing

community

metadata

Born digital

preservationFailing analog

formats

Reuse &

repurpose

Repository

management

Overwhelming

digital

opportunity

Community

archives

Providing

access

Images courtesy of AIATSIS

Peace Dodd being interviewed by Jason Thomas. Image courtesy of Indigenous Community Stories

Visiting the collectionhttp://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/using-collection/visiting-collection

Using the collection

http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/using-collection

http://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/collections-and-library/access-and-use-policy-aiatsis-collection.pdf

http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/using-collection/search-collection

Searching the collection

http://aiatsis.gov.au