Human
Remains
Ancestral
Remains Project Brief
European Archival Research (February - August 1997)
Prepared by
Lyndon Ormond-Parker
FAIRA Aboriginal Corporation
Introduction
Since 19 April 1994, FAIRA has received grants from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) for a project regarding the documentation of Queensland Ancestral Remains held in museums and institutions in Australia and overseas.
The grants were a result of a number of years of lobbying by FAIRA to return Ancestral Remains and Cultural Property held by institutions to their community of origin. FAIRA proposed that research and repatriation regarding this issue should primarily occur in three stages.
The first stage entailed archival research throughout Queensland institutions that held Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ancestral Remains and to develop a database. This stage involved community consultation throughout the State regarding the Queensland Ancestral Remains registered on the database and to establish community ideas regarding their repatriation.
The second stage was to acquire a register of Queensland Ancestral Remains held in institutions throughout Australia. The register was then complemented by archival research in each institution known to be keeping Queensland Ancestral Remains. The data was then copied, cross-referenced and updated on the Ancestral Remains database.
The third stage in the project was to acquire a register of Queensland Ancestral Remains held in museums and institution overseas. The following is an outline of objectives for research to be carried out in Europe between February and August 1997.
Objectives
The objectives are as follows:
- To identify and document Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ancestral
Remains held in British and European scientific, academic and cultural
institutions through archival research in British institutions.
- To develop a register/catalogue of Ancestral Remains with a view
to producing a catalogue, detailing individual Ancestral Remains and
extending existing catalogues and guides developed by Cressida Fforde
(University of Southampton) and Carol Cooper (Australian Institute of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies).
- To locate and document Ancestral Remains known to have been exchanged
with overseas institutions (i.e. via exchange schedules). This component
will complement current research finding from FAIRA's Ancestral Remains
Project and the National Skeletal Provenancing Project based at the
South Australian Museum (Deanne Hanchant).
- To sensitively establish and maintain current contacts in British
and European institutions holding Ancestral Remains with a view of gathering
information and archival documentation to establishing collection contents
and provenance.
- To report on this research to relevant government agencies (i.e AIATSIS/ATSIC) and community organisations (i.e NSW/CLC Land Councils, SA State Heritage Committee, TAC) and to disseminate information to the relevant communities concerned.
Methodology
The documentation and cataloguing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Ancestral Remains housed in Europe will be undertaken by direct archival research in British libraries, archives and museums.
The following is a brief list of British and Irish institutions and museums which have been identified as requiring archival research regarding Ancestral Remains and compiled in conjunction with Cressida Fforde from the University of Southampton and Deanne Hanchant from the National Provenancing Project:
- The Duckworth Osteological Laboratory, Cambridge University - this
collection is known to have at least 9 Ancestral Remains from Queensland.
- The Natural History Museum, London although detailed information
has been obtained about their holdings, this has been achieved through
sources outside the museum. It is therefore essential to gain access
to their records if a complete listing of their collection is to be
achieved.
- The Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. This museum is known to hold
Ancestral Remains but no details are available as yet.
- The Royal College of Surgeons of Scotland, Edinburgh. Research has
shown that the college was sent Ancestral Remains, but no further details
are available as yet.
- Marischal College, University of Aberdeen. The College houses a small
human skeletal collection which includes Ancestral Remains.
- The Hunterian Museum, Glasgow. This museum may hold Ancestral Remains.
- Wellcome Institute, London. This institution is known to have a collection
of Ancestral Remains but no further details are available as yet.
- Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Dublin. This college is known
to have a collection of Ancestral Remains but no further detail are
available as yet.
- Manchester Museum, Manchester. Minor details are available about
this museum's collection of Ancestral Remains but further research is
required to provenance them.
- St Thomas Hospital, London. This Hospital once housed a small collection
of Ancestral Remains. Research is required to find their location.
- Exeter Museum is known to have a small collection of Ancestral Remains
from South Australia.
- Guy's Hospital, London. This hospital once housed a small collection
of Ancestral Remains. Research is required to find their location.
- The Middlesex Hospital. This hospital once housed a small collection of Ancestral Remains. Research is required to find their location.
Other likely locations include major city museums, hospitals and university anatomy departments which date back to the 19th century.
This list is only a guide to the enormous amount of research needed to be conducted to locate, document, catalogue and provenance Ancestral Remains held in British and European institutions.
Research will be conducted to complement previous and current research being conducted by FAIRA Aboriginal Corporation, the National Provenancing Project (Deanne Hanchant), the Department of Archeology, University of South Hampton (Cressida Fforde/Peter Ucko now located at the Institute of Archeology London) and the World Archeological Congress.
The archival research will complement existing research findings from various sources over the years. A full copy of Cressida's Fforde's catalogue to date and research findings are held with AIATSIS and other relevant organisations.
FAIRA would like to thank the following people for their valuable input into this current project: Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), Bob Weatherall, Lorraine Briggs, Carol Cooper (AIATSIS), Cressida Fforde (University of Southampton), David Corrs (National Museum of Australia) Deanne Hanchant (National Provenancing Project), Irene Watson (Adelaide University), Kierin Hotchin (ATSIC), Paul Turnbull (James Cook University), Peter Ucko (Institute of Archeology, London) and Trevor Pearce (Museums Australia).
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