IDNO

P.85653.ACH2

Description

On catalogue card: “Wombat digging.”

Cross-section of a hill showing a pit that four Aboriginal men have dug in order to catch wombats. A man is sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the pit and using a stick to dig. A second man is using his legs pressed against the sides to position himself halfway down and is placing a basket? of dirt on a hooked stick for a third man to pull out of the pit. "In two to three days three or four men dig two or three shafts, 15-20 feet deep and 3 feet wide, with only the help of a stick and a hide to kill the animal in its home. In the best case the reward for this hard work is 20 pounds of meat"
On the side of the hill are two Kingia Australis growing. [See Blandowski 1862, pl.63]

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

1862

Collection Name

Haddon Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.85635. to P.85723. were tied together in a bundle.

Bibliographical Reference: Blandowski, William von, 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen (Unpublished), with the caption “Aborigines of Australia, Plate 132. William v. Blandowski, Australia. Wombat digging. Xanthorrhaea Hastilis”. The image is signed “G.M.60”. [JD 23/8/2007]

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]

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:
“63. The accusation that the Aborigines have a lack of energy and endurance is a very unfair one- Even catching a wombat in his burrow needs more exertion than Europeans are used to. In two to three days three or four men dig two or three shafts, 15-20 feet deep and 3 feet wide, with only the help of a stick and a hide to kill the animal in its home. In the best case the reward for this hard work is 20 pounds of meat Europeans may find it hard to believe but the hardness of the ground is no setback for the Aborigines when they dig the shafts; Drawing by G.Mützel.” [WV 27/3/2009]

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 1/4/2009]