The Library's collection holds a diverse range of material, offering a rich interpretation of Australia's past and contemporary Indigenous culture.

Pen and ink drawing of hunting emus

Hunting emus, Wahgunyah Region, Victoria

Drawings by Tommy McCrae [sic], an Aboriginal of the Wahgunyah tribe on the River Murray, 1880.
Five Indigenous women dancing

Magdalena Dreaming Sisters

Indigenous dance group during closing ceremony at Brisbane Powerhouse, April 2003.
Three Indigenous elders embracing

Juno Gemes: Portraits from the Movement, 1978-2003

Countrymen, elders from Arakun and Mornington Island greeting each other before a ceremony, Mornington Island, Queensland, 1978.
Cousins, Ernabella, South Australia, 2006.

Cousins, Ernabella, South Australia.

Kurungku nyanganyi kuranyukutu, with an eye to the future, Ernabella, South Australia, 2006.
Hand-drawn map used in the Mabo case

Collection of original hand-drawn maps/diagrams of various portions of land, boundary markers, etc.

Papers of Bryan Keon-Cohen: the Mabo case, circa 1976-2009.

Australia has a long and proud Indigenous history spanning over 50 000 years, told in stories, ceremonies and art, as well as being recorded in many documentary forms.

The Library collects and preserves material recording Indigenous history, experience and culture, placing a strong emphasis on building these collections. Our collections are in a wide range of formats, including archived websites, photographs, maps, oral histories, manuscripts pictures and all types of publications in English and language.

The National Library’s published collections also include copies of all Indigenous Australian language dictionaries, word lists and lexicons published to date, covering hundreds of languages and dialects. This includes a significant number of interactive dictionaries.

Highlights

  • Bringing Them Home Oral History Project - over 300 interviews collected between 1998 and 2002 with Indigenous people and others, such as missionaries, police and administrators involved in or affected by the process of child removals. Listen online to a selection of interviews.
  • Mura Gadi - an annotated bibliography of materials in the manuscripts, pictures and oral history collections related to Australian Indigenous people. This bibliography is current to 1999.
  • Eddie Koiki Mabo's papers - the history of the campaign for native title documented in this manuscript collection comprises litigation records from the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia. The records include much rich material about the history, genealogy and land ownership of Mabo and other Torres Strait Islanders families.
  • Tommy McRae drawings - record of traditional life, hunting, fishing, dancing and conflicts by an Aboriginal of the Wahgunyah tribe on the River Murray, 1880.
  • Contemporary and historic photographs of Ernabella, South Australia. Ernabella was built as a Presbyterian Mission in 1938 on Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, and was later renamed Pukatja. It is unusual in that the mission respected Anangu culture and traditions, offering education and medical assistance. It is the home of Ernabella Arts, one of the longest continuously running Aboriginal arts organisations.

The Library wishes to acknowledge that some material in the collections relating to Indigenous people may be considered culturally sensitive. Our collections may contain images of deceased persons or depict distressing incidents.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

ENTER SITE