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Indigenous Australia: resources

Images, audio and video

Two Kimberley Aboriginal boys with decorative scarring

> Photographs by Herbert Basedow
View, read about and download large-format copies of these photographs taken by Herbert Basedown between 1903 and 1928. These 34 photographs have been annotated for teachers and students.

> Audio-on-demand
Listen to audio recordings of presentations about Indigenous culture and history in our audio-on-demand program.

> Video clips
Watch a series of six short video clips made as part of the project to produce the exhibition Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route.

Teacher resources

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Education kit cover

Freely available online

> Yalangbara: Art of the Djang'kawu
The Djang'kawu are ancestral beings who gave birth to the Rirratjingu clan in northeast Arnhem Land. Use this resource to explore stories of creation, journeying, land rights and copyright.

> Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route
Explore the richness of desert life today and the history of the stock route that transformed the lives of Aboriginal people from Wiluna to Halls Creek in Western Australia

> Extremes: Survival in the great deserts of the southern hemisphere
Explore the science, cultural history and contemporary societies of great southern-hemisphere deserts including Australia's Red Centre.

> A Different Time: The Expedition Photographs of Herbert Basedow 1903-1928
Teachers resources include units of work 'Indigenous know-how' and 'Arrerika on the team'; and a set of 34 photographs with a detailed description, downloadable in large format.

> How did Aboriginal Australians resist British colonisation?
Explore four case studies dealing with different ways Aboriginal people have reacted to the British colonisation of Australia.

> How do museums represent history?
Investigate and critically analyse how the Museum represents aspects of our past – includes a case study on representing the history of frontier conflict.

> From Little Things Big Things Grow
What can objects tell us about the development of Indigenous Australians' rights over time?

67 Referendum Studies Unit cover

> The 1967 Referendum
Decide whether the 1967 Referendum was a major turning point for Indigenous citizenship rights or 'more show than substance'.

> Indigenous rights and freedoms, 1957–75
Students are provided with a timeline of developments in Indigenous rights from the 1950s to the 1970s, with suggestions for ways that students can explore these events further.

> First Australians: Telling our Indigenous stories
Investigate how the Museum tells stories about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

> A walk through 'White Australia' at the National Museum of Australia
Investigates how our exhibitions represent the 'White Australia' issue in Australian History and asks students to decide whether this representation is fair and accurate.

Kaisiana's story

Resources to order

> Australian History Mysteries
A video, print and web resource – inquiry-based case studies, including 'Coniston massacre – What happened at Coniston in 1928?', 'Freedom Ride and 1967 Referendum – What do they tell us about Australian attitudes?', and 'What happened in a frontier conflict near Broome in 1864?'

> First Australians: Plenty Stories
Written by the National Museum of Australia's Senior Indigenous Education Officer, Trish Albert, First Australians: Plenty Stories is a comprehensive and award-winning printed resource for teaching Australian Indigenous studies in middle and upper primary.

Websites

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> First Australians: Gallery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Gain an overview of the largest gallery in the Museum, housing some 10,000 Indigenous objects.

> Papunya Painting: Out of the Desert
Showcases the Museum's extraordinary collection of Western Desert Art

> Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route
Discover the stock route's impact on Aboriginal people, and the importance of the surrounding Country, through works of senior and emerging artists and stories of traditional custodians.

> From Little Things Big Things Grow
Tells the largely unknown story of a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians who fought together for justice and equal rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

> Collaborating for Indigenous Rights
Explore the campaigns waged in postwar Australia to overturn discriminatory laws and expose racism.

> Many Rhymes, One Rhythm
Explore the hip hop talents of kids from some of Australia's most remote locations. Includes audio, video and an interactive music mixer.

> Resistance virtual tour
In the Resistance virtual tour, find 17 clickable hotspots that allow close examination of items on display and 4 curriculum-linked activities for students in Years 5 to 10.

> Snapshots of Remote Communities
Primary school students celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of remote Australian communities through their photographs.

Flash interactives

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> Batmania
A fun way to explore the people and events surrounding the foundation of Melbourne.

> Bells Falls Gorge
Takes visitors on a virtual tour of a controversial Museum display which looks at the nature of the contact between Aboriginal people and those who arrived after 1788 and moved into frontier areas.

> Mystery object: Torres Strait Islands
Learn about Torres Strait Islander history and culture and find clues about a mystery object's use and cultural significance.

> Oscar's Sketchbook
Depictions of a young Aboriginal man's memories of growing up in far north Queensland.

> Saibai Island Canoe
Use traditional fishing practices to catch fish, turtles and dugong from your Saibai Island canoe in preparation for a traditional Torres Strait Islander feast.


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