IDNO

P.85621.ACH2

Description

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.294.ACH1: “Funeral ceremony.”

An elderly Aboriginal man and two other younger men leading the carrying of a corpse to a prepared grave. The corpse is wrapped in a mat and carried in a canoe on the shoulders of two men. An elder and two ceremonial masters go ahead to scare away the evil spirit while the deceased’s closest relative carries the canoe on his head to the resting place. To the left of the grave is a group of mourners including an elderly man, men, women, and children. In the background is a weeping gum tree (Eucalyptus caesia). [JD 23/8/2007]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Victoria; Darling River; Murray River

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Muetzel, Gustav [Artist]

Collector / Expedition

von Blandowski, William [Blandowski Expedition to the Lower Murray River, 1857]

Date

1850; 1862

Collection Name

Haddon Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.84200. to P.84255. and P.85603. to P.85634. were tied together in a bundle.

Bibliographical Reference: Blandowski, William von, 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen (Unpublished), with the caption “Aborigines of Australia, Plate 185. William v. Blandowski, Australia. Funeral ceremony”. The image is signed “G.M.60”. [JD 23/8/2007]

CUMAA Exhibition: P.84112.ACH2 to P.85713.ACH2 were on display in the SSL as part of the Brook Andrew ‘The Island’ Exhibition, 24th June - 27th September 2008. [JD 25/6/2008]

Bibliographical Reference: For discussion of authorship see: Allen, H. 2006. Authorship and ownership in Blandowski's Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen. Australasian Historical Archaeology 24:31-37. [Jane Lydon, Monash University, 8/7/2009]

Publication: Blandowski, W. 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen Ahbildungen. Gustav Neumann, Gleiwicz. Edited by Harry Alien. Translated from the German by Lillian Barton. Translation Copyright: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2007. with the caption:
“128. Near the Murray and Darling Rivers the deceased is laid in a canoe with his weapons. An elder and two ceremonial masters go ahead to scare away the evil spirit while the deceased's closest relative carries the canoe on his head to the resting place. The whole tribe sits at the burial site and waits for the procession. Drawing by G. Mützel.” [WV 6/4/2009]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 23/8/2007]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Aboriginal Visual Histories Project, Monash University. [Wonu Veys 7/4/2009]