IDNO

P.85632.ACH2

Description

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.305.ACH1: “Illegible.”

Aboriginal burial ground with four mounds with an area of one mound cut away to show positioning of the four corpses within. The four dead warriors were stretched across poles, tied at the ankles, knees, body and neck, and placed in the graves symmetrically over one another.
The burial ground is constructed from packed earth encircled by a ring of stones. Each of the four conical mounds are topped by either boomerangs, clubs, or toas (small composite and painted sculptures used as makers). The burial ground is surrounded by four large tree trunks (probably Eucalyptus tress), which have had large bands of bark removed and designs of animals decorated onto the underlying wood. An Aboriginal person sits next to a mound to the right, and another mound is in the background. [JD 23/8/2007] [WV 23/4/2009]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Victoria; Gippsland; 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

1861; 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.

Related Image: The original Blandowski album, from which this is a copy print, is held in the Haddon Library, Cambridge, reference 260.B. [JD 25/6/2008]

Bibliographical Reference: Blandowski, William von, 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen (Unpublished), with the caption “Aborigines of Australia, Plate 221?. William v. Blandowski, Australia. ... [Illegible]”. The image is signed “G.M.61”. [JD 23/8/2007]

Bibliographical Reference: Blandowski, W. 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen Abbildungen. Gustav Neumann, Gleiwicz. Edited by Harry Allen. Translated from the German by Lillian Barton. Translation Copyright: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2007.
“139. In Gippsland there are similar burial customs. In the past four dead warriors were stretched across poles, tied at the ankles, knees, body and neck, and placed in the graves symmetrically over one another. Four mounds were formed and a hand weapon placed at the top of each. The direction in which the weapon fell indicated where revenge was to be be sought. When it comes to the dead women it is enough to bury the bodies in the ground in a sitting position. From the trees in the surrounding area the bark is removed and the trunks decorated with images of animals such as dingoes, kangaroos and emus. Drawing by G. Mutzel.” [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]

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]

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 23/4/2009]