Contexts of Collection - understanding the material record of Yolngu cultures

The project aims to discover the motivations of the makers of the material record of Yolngu society from the beginning of missionisation to the present, and those of the Yolngu themselves, in contributing to collections and taking part in filming. The project is radical in treating the material record (film, photography, and material culture) as a whole and in investigating the agency of the Indigenous people involved. The project will result in a number of publications and a web-based resource that will be of great utility to researchers and Yolngu alike and can provide a model for collections based research. The research project will make people aware of the collaborative nature of the material record of Yolngu societies that has been made over time by the participation of researchers, collectors, filmmakers and Yolngu people themselves. It will demonstrate the ways in which digital technology can be used as an integral part of a research process to produce outcomes that can be made accessible to a wide range of different users. It will help people understand the complex historical processes that have resulted in the present museum and archival record and facilitate their use.
Type
Activity
Activity Type
Project
Access Privileges
Digital Humanities Hub
Title
Contexts of Collection - understanding the material record of Yolngu cultures
Abbreviated Title
Contexts of Collection
Alternate Title
Contexts of Collection - a dialogic approach to understanding the making of the material record of Yolngu cultures
ARC Grant Number
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP0879397
Brief Description
This project aims to explore the contexts in which the collections of Yolngu cultural material were originally made and highlight the agency of Yolngu in influencing the nature of the collections and interests of particular collectors, including missionaries, anthropologists, art dealers and filmmakers. Funded by ARC Discovery grant, 2008-2011.
Full Description
The project aims to discover the motivations of the makers of the material record of Yolngu society from the beginning of missionisation to the present, and those of the Yolngu themselves, in contributing to collections and taking part in filming. The project is radical in treating the material record (film, photography, and material culture) as a whole and in investigating the agency of the Indigenous people involved. The project will result in a number of publications and a web-based resource that will be of great utility to researchers and Yolngu alike and can provide a model for collections based research. The research project will make people aware of the collaborative nature of the material record of Yolngu societies that has been made over time by the participation of researchers, collectors, filmmakers and Yolngu people themselves. It will demonstrate the ways in which digital technology can be used as an integral part of a research process to produce outcomes that can be made accessible to a wide range of different users. It will help people understand the complex historical processes that have resulted in the present museum and archival record and facilitate their use.
Contact Email
louise.hamby@anu.edu.au; pip.deveson@anu.edu.au
Contact Address
The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
Contact Phone Number
(02) 6262 5741; (02) 6125 4462
Fields of Research
160104 - Social and Cultural Anthropology; 210204 - Museum Studies; 16 - STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY
Keywords
Material culture; Museum Collections; History of Collections; Anthropology; Australian Aborigines; Ethnographic Film
Status: Published
Published to:
  • Australian National University
  • Australian National Data Service
Related items