IDNO

LS.109050.TC1

Description

On Catalogue Card: "Guichen Bay, Co. Robe. Native context (old print).”

On Catalogue Card for duplicate print P.277.ACH1: “A native contest ... with weapons, Guichen bay.”

Two opposing lines of Aboriginal men engaged in combat using spears, clubs, boomerangs, and shields. They stand in semicircles and while some try to outflank the opposition, other throw spears and boomerangs at selected targets who parry them with sticks and shields. Three women, one carrying a child on her back, and a child are watching from behind vegetation in the foreground, with a collection of weapons at their feet. [JD 23/8/2007, updated WV 6/4/2009]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; South Australia; Murray Region; Guichen Bay

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Muetzel, Gustav [Artist]

Collector / Expedition

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

Date

1860; 1862

Collection Name

Teaching Slide CollectionHaddon Unmounted Collection

Source

?Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Bibliographical Reference: Blandowski, William von, 1862. Australien in 142 Photographischen (Unpublished), with the caption “Aborigines of Australia, Plate 165. William v. Blandowski, Australia. ... ?feet ?reker natives contest .... with weapons, Guichen Bay”. The image is signed “G.M. I.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]

Place: The Place field was previously recorded as being “Australasia; Australia; Victoria”, and the Catalogue Card states the place as ‘Victoria’, but Guichen Bay is in South Australia. The Place field has been amended accordingly. [JD 20/1/2009]

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:
“110. When a fight ends in severe injuries or even death friends quickly take sides and general combat breaks out. They stand in semicircles and while some try to outflank the opposition, others throw spears and boomerangs at selected targets who parry them with sticks and shields. During the excitement the women stand in the background with new bundles of spears in order to re-arm their men folk when they have used up their first load of spears. Mothers and children remain well back from the fighting lines so that they cannot be hit. Everyone is eager to know the outcome. Seldom but not impossible are cases where an entire party is killed. Mercy is not given nor asked for. Drawn 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 6/4/2009]