Science

DIVISION OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Collections | Staff

The Department of Anthropology is responsible for the largest and most representative collection of Australian Aboriginal ethnographic material in the world and is committed to a process of making these materials accessible to Aboriginal communities across Australia.

There are approximately 30 000 Aboriginal ethnographic, 25 000 Aboriginal archaeological registrations and associated archival materials. The Department has a nation-wide responsibility, especially in the areas of Aboriginal men's restricted objects, Aboriginal skeletal material, it also has a charter to interpret its collections to a broader Australian and international public in partnership with Aboriginal people. We hold a significant collection of Pacific material (around 15 000 pieces) and small collections of South-east Asian, Asian, African, Native American and Industrial/Social History material. The Museum provides the most comprehensive display of Pacific ethnography to be found in any museum in Australia, with some 3 000 objects on display in the Pacific Gallery.

The collections are held in two locations. The Foreign Ethnology, Archaeology, Human Biology and Industrial/Social History collections are stored at Netley, 20 minutes drive from the North Terrace building where the Australian Aboriginal ethnographic material is stored. There are offices and research laboratories at Netley.