South Australian Museum

As an exercise for the Tutorial, we had to go to the South Australian Museum and answer the questions below. Below are my responses to these questions.

 

1) Unlike the stories told by Aboriginal informants, the stories of anthropologists and museum curators are usually left unspoken. What do you think these stories are? How does the exhibition make you feel?

 

The exhibition made me feel bad that this was such a huge part of Australian culture and I barely knew anything about it. I was almost embarrassed of my ignorance. I'm glad that there were videos of the Indigenous Australians being interviewed because the emotion, feeling and conviction that they conveyed made it easier to connect with what felt like a whole other world.

 

2) Examine the Yuendumu School doors closely. They had a past life too. Now off their hinges and on a gallery wall, they tell other stories. What are they?

 

In the early 80's the artists painted the doors to express their link to the country but also their willingness to resume responsibility for those places. They were also intended to remind the Yuendumu school children of a wed of sites and obligations extending across their country. They also have a large part to play in the story telling of gaining land rights.

 

http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au

 

3) Find five other objects or displays that most capture your interest. What attracted you to them? What do they say to you?

 

The Tindale Map: Seeing this particular piece on a large scale and being able to appreciate the detail of each community was amazing. The map took over 50 years to complete and I believe can also be considered as a work of art, not just as a map.

 

South East: In one part of the exhibition, there was an area dedicated to the South Eastern communities in the Bungandity Region. I am actually from Mount Gambier so I was familiar with a few of the places and landmarks mentioned.

Later on I did some research into the Aboriginal history in the area I am from and found that it is the land of the Boandik people. I also found a story which tells the tale of the Craitbul story, which gives an insight into the volcanic activity in the Mount Gambier area.

The Craitbul Story tells of the giant ancestor of the Booandik People who long ago made an oven at Mount Muirhead to cook for his wife and family. In hearing the groaning voice of the bird spirit "Bullin" warning them of the evil spirit "Tennateona", they fled to another site where they built another oven (Mount Schank). Again they were frightened off by the threat of the evil spirit and moved to "Berrin" where they again made their oven (Mount Gambier). One day, water rose and the fire went out. They dug other ovens, but each time water rose putting out the fires. This occurred four times (the Valley Lake, Blue Lake, Browne’s Lake and Leg of Mutton Lake). Finally Craitbul and his family settled in a cave on the side of "Berrin’s " Peak.

 

Ivaritji: This was a photograph and story about an Aboriginal woman who is often said to have been the “last speaker” of the Kaurna language and she died in 1929.  The Kaurna language was probably last spoken on a daily basis as early as the 1860s. However the thing that caught my attention about this story the most was that the information stated that Ivaritji was insistent on wearing the traditional blanket wrapped around her when her photograph was being taken. I just felt like I could somehow imagine how uncomfortable and confronting it would have felt to have your photograph taken by foreigners and that blanket would have been symbolic not only of her culture but also like a security blanket.
 

 

Tindale Masks: These pieces almost when unnoticed when I entered the exhibition due to the dim and ominous lighting. These masks were used in an initiation ceremony in 1947. The young men would perform animal impersonations and various dances. These masks were made from a combination of materials such as iron which was then embellished with grass. The thing that drew me to these pieces was that many stereotypes and assumptions are made about Indigenous Australians which lead people to believe that they weren't civilised due to their lifestyle in the bush however their history and artefact's all argue otherwise. They portray the high level of skill and workmanship of these people.

 

Ceremonial Headdress: This was another piece which I admired purely for the intricate level of detail. This head piece was made from Emu feather found in the Lake Eyre area and was incredibly delicate. It was amazing to see how much detail was put into body adornments such as these. These piece were greatly important as pieces such as a head arrangement (Ralyurrpmaywerre 1929) looked like a feather duster but were worn as a signal of friendly intentions.