# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Rock engravings, Deception Creek, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, between 1905 and 1914

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Rock carvings. Deception Creek, Red Gorge, Flinders Ranges.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a rockface engraved with a series of images resembling animals, handprints and animal footprints. 

These designs were most likely created using a sharp-edged rock in a pounding motion. To maintain its edge the engraver stone would need to be much harder than the stone surface being worked. There may also have been some grinding or grooving action as well. 

Basedow took this photograph at Deception Creek in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. He asked local people about the meanings of these carvings but he was told that no-one knew.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during one of Basedow's six field trips to the Flinders Ranges region of South Australia between 1905 and about 1913. His initial visits were primarily geological investigations on behalf of the South Australian Mines Department. Later trips may have been to continue his investigations of Aboriginal rock engravings that he had seen in the region.

# data[].spatial[].title
Deception Creek, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Deception Creek, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia

# data[].seeAlso[].title
large-format copy of this image (1128kb) 

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Men showing their scars,  Port George IV, Western Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1916

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative showing three standing Aboriginal men viewed from behind; all show prominent cicatrices (body scars); the man in the centre also wears a waist band and a string necklace.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of three young men standing facing away from the camera. They have rows of scars on their shoulder blades, middle and lower back, buttocks, thighs and calves. One boy is wearing a string necklace and a thick, tightly-woven rope around his hips.

Decorative scarring was practised all over Australia, by both men and women, from adolescent years onward. This photograph was taken in the Kimberley region. Cuts could be made with a stone flake or sharp shell, or burnt on with a firestick or heated stone. Cuts were then filled with clay or ashes to produce raised scars, called cicatrices. The chest, abdomen, shoulders, back and upper arms were the most common areas for cicatrices, but they could also be made on the forehead and legs. Their purpose varied and apart from beautification, could be related to initiation, affiliation with a particular social group, or social status. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia to investigate a reported deposit of metal that would be useful for munitions.

# data[].spatial[].title
Kunmunya Mission (aka Port George IV mission), West Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Fish-tail bark and dug-out canoes, Melville Island, Northern Territory, in the background, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1911

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in 'Notes on the Natives of Bathurst Island, North Australia', "Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute", vol. XLIII, 1913, plate X/2. Caption reads: ' "Fish-tail" bark canoes and "dug-out" canoe in the distance, Apsley Strait. Melville Island in the background.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative showing several boys/youths seated in two bark canoes and one dugout canoe on the water with ground in front and in the distance.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of three canoes just offshore. The foreground two are made of bark and hold two boys each; the farthest has been dug out from a tree trunk and holds five boys. There are two paddles for each canoe. Across the water is a well-vegetated landmass.

Where there is water Aboriginal people often use watercraft. Over much of mainland Australia men made canoes out of bark, usually from a eucalypt. This photograph was taken on Melville Island. Bark canoes on Melville and Bathurst islands were distinctive in shape. They are long and thin with a supporting wooden rod on either side and characteristic 'fish-tail' ends. The canoes were used for moving between islands and for fishing.

On Melville and Bathurst islands, people used not only bark canoes but dugout canoes as well. Dugout canoes were made from the hollowed-out trunk of a softwood tree. Aboriginal people learnt to make them from Indonesian visitors who probably first came to Australia's northern shores in the mid-1700s. The canoes were propelled using wooden paddles and often sails as well. Sails were made from woven pandanus and more recently cloth.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a trip to Bathurst and Melville islands to inspect the health of Aboriginal people.

# data[].spatial[].title
Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - A widow, Yandruwandha people, Innamincka station, South Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1919

# data[].description
Reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XXVI/2. Caption reads: 'Yantowannta widow.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: A widow. She has her hair cut short and the head and face covered with a thick paste of pipe clay.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of the top half an elderly woman who appears to be seated at the entrance to a small hut. Her head has been recently shaved of hair, and her forehead, nose and cheeks are coated in a thick, white clay.

This Yandruwandha widow was photographed at Innamincka station. She has had her scalp shaved and it and her face have been covered with gypsum.

When a woman's husband dies she often covers part of her head with white clay or gypsum - white being the mourning colour for Aboriginal people. In some places a 'cap' of gypsum is worn, while in others small lumps of gypsum are stuck to the hair. Often the face is also covered. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's first medical relief expedition to north-east South Australia.

# data[].spatial[].title
Innamincka Homestead, South Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Film negative - To keep flies away an old man fans himself with a immejet (fan), Liverpool River, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1928

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative showing a seated man holding a goose-wing fan.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of an elderly man seated on flat, sandy ground, holding a fan made of feathers. 

This blind man is sitting in his camp in Arnhem Land. In his hand he has an immejet - a fan - made from a bird's wing, probably from a magpie goose. He uses it to keep flies and mosquitoes away from his body. 

Aboriginal people were cared for when they became old and infirm. And generally, they may have been better off in country than in a town. Having tended to the medical needs of Aboriginal people on several expeditions, Basedow reported that overall, the health of those living in settled areas was worse than that of the people living in country. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a four-month exploration of Arnhem Land, south-east of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

# data[].spatial[].title
Alligator River, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Woman carrying pet possum on her head while on the march, Pongaponga people, western Arnhem land, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1922

# data[].description
A companion photograph was reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate X/2. Caption reads: 'Ponga-Ponga gin carrying pet possum on her head while on the march.' The whereabouts of the companion negative is not known.

# data[].physicalDescription
A black and white glass plate negative showing a possum on top of a woman's head viewed from the left side. The woman also has strings suspended from her head, probably the handle of a basket or bag resting against her back.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of the head and shoulders of a woman facing left. A baby possum is crouched on her head. Also visible are a bundle of taut strings running from behind her ear down her back. Those and her engaged neck muscles indicate she is carrying a basket containing considerable weight.

This is a Pongaponga woman from western Arnhem land. She carries, suspended from her head, a basket or bag for holding the food she has gathered. And she has a pet ring-tailed possum, which she carries on her head while out searching for food. Various animals, including birds, may be kept as pets. Often they are young animals brought to the camp by returning hunters.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition to the Victoria River district south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory, on behalf of the Mararoa Gold Mining Company.

# data[].spatial[].title
Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Lantern slide - Pitjantjatjara men wearing wooden hair ornaments known as 'elenba', central Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920-1924

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate IX/2. Caption reads: 'Wongapitcha men wearing ornamental wooden hair-pins known as "elenba." Note charcoal rubbed over the foreheads.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Lantern slide of a black and white glass plate negative. The picture shows two indigenous men with beards holding spears and spear throwers. They are also wearing tall shaved wood head adornments.  The top of the glass above the picture on the left has a crack.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of the top half of two men, each holding a spear and a spearthrower. Their beards are long, their foreheads are blackened, and they wear upright hair ornaments.

We know that these are Pitjantjatjara men, but unfortunately we do not know much more than that about them. The charcoal on their foreheads perhaps indicates that they had recently taken part in a ceremony. Both hold the characteristic (broader, shorter) spearthrowers of central Australia.

In their hair the two men wear wooden hair ornaments called elenba. Elenba are made from sticks stripped of their bark and then scraped with a sharp stone to produce curly strands. The sticks are fixed in place by inserting them into the men's string headbands.

The digital copy of this photograph was made from a lantern slide. In the early twentieth century, if you wanted to project a photograph onto a large screen, you would use a lantern slide. Creating a lantern slide involved transferring an image onto glass. To protect the emulsion (which contains the image), a second piece of glass was taped to the first.
 
The reason this image was produced from a lantern slide rather than a negative is because the National Museum of Australia does not hold the original negative. The Museum's Basedow photograph collection comprises negatives and lantern slides, but there is not always a negative for the image.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken either during during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia or during an expedition with the Governor of South Australia, whose plans for building a north-south railway involved first seeing the region for himself.

# data[].spatial[].title
Northern Central Australia, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Copy negative - Women carrying water, Wardaman people, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1922

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative. Caption: Women carrying water. Wardaman people N.T.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of four young women walking toward the camera carrying solid oblong containers slung over one shoulder with a string rope. One woman is wearing a cloth headband and a string skirt.

Men and women usually gather food separately. While men hunt for larger game or fish, women search for foods such as root vegetables, seeds and berries, and catch small animals that cross their path. Children often accompanied the women, or would stay in the camp to be looked after by older adults. Because men could not always catch a large animal like a kangaroo, women would often provide the only food for the day's meals. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition to the Victoria River district south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory, on behalf of the Mararoa Gold Mining Company.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Film negative - Group of people, Mount Currie, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1926

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative. Shows a group of Aboriginal men, women and children seated on the ground with shrubs and a hill behind them.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a group of around 22 people sitting at a campsite at the foot of a grassy hill. Men and children are in the foreground, where the remains of a fire can be seen. Women are further back, behind a row of what looks like low bushes.

Basedow photographed this group of people at Mount Currie, to the north-west of the Olgas (Kuta Tjuta), in 1926. On this trip Basedow's party were travelling by camel. The two groups camped near one another and the next day Basedow took this photograph. Two signs indicate that it was probably taken at the Aboriginal camp: the remains of a fire, and the row of bushes between the men and women, which appears to be a (constructed) windbreak. 

This photograph was taken in late June. In colder weather in this region people slept out in the open (unless it was raining) with a windbreak at their head and a small fire either side of them.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a four-month expedition to explore central Australia sponsored by pastoralist Donald Mackay.

# data[].spatial[].title
Mount Currie, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Youth on raft, Worora people, George Water, Western Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1916

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Native mangrove raft on George Water. Worora tribe. Reproduced in 'The Australian Aboriginal' 1925. F. W Preece & Sons, Adelaide plate 22.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a young man seated on a raft and floating on a body of water from which trees and other plants emerge. He is facing the camera and holding a paddle. The uppermost platform of the raft is made of eight logs bound together. Toward the rear of the raft, two other logs protrude diagonally from underneath, indicating that the raft is built with a lower platform as well.

This is a Worora man at George Water in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. In this area, Aboriginal people use rafts of mangrove trunks to move about in the bays and inlets. They also travel on rafts to visit islands close to the coast in search of seasonal foods like turtle eggs. The rafts are comprised of two layers of six to ten logs, one resting on top of the other. In each layer, neighbouring logs are joined together with hardwood pegs. A raft can carry one or two people, who use a wooden paddle to drive. For comfort, they might sit on a bed of grass or reeds.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia to investigate a reported deposit of metal that would be useful for munitions.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Hut decked with porcupine grass, eastern Arrernte people, Arltunga, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920

# data[].description
Reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XV/2. Caption reads: 'Hut decked with with porcupine grass, Arltunga district.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative.  An indigenous man sitting in the entrance of a round half sherical structure consisting of a sticks and foliage. "Arltunga" is inscribed on the edge of the negative.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a thin, elderly man seated at the entrance to a small hut made of wood and covered in grass. What appears to be another hut can be seen in the background.

Aboriginal people sometimes build shelters. This one was photographed at Arltunga, eastern Arnhem land (Northern Territory) in the arid zone, which can be very cold. It has a frame of stout mulga stakes and is covered with triodia grass. Built for wet or cold weather, it is more solid than those used in warmer weather. Its entrance faces away from the direction of the prevailing winds.

Basedow staged this photograph to depict Aboriginal culture in pre-contact times. We know this because Frank Feast, one of Basedow's travelling companions, photographed the same scene. In Feast's image, the man and his companions are dressed and various accoutrements are present, such as blankets and a metal drum.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia.

# data[].spatial[].title
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[].spatial[].description
Photograph taken 10 miles east of Alice Springs NT.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Film negative - Women carrying large plaited baskets, Liverpool River, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1928

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in the "Brisbane Courier" (22 September 1928). Caption reads: 'Native women, Liverpool River.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative showing two women carrying large plaited baskets suspended from a band around their heads. One of the women is also carrying a child.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of two women, each carrying a basket suspended by a rope around her head. One of the women also holds a child. A dog is at the right of the frame, facing away from the camera. The ground is sandy, but in the background is vegetation, including several trees. 

These women and a child were photographed by Basedow in 1928 when he came upon a camp of people next to the Liverpool River in Arnhem Land. Neither he nor his Aboriginal assistants could communicate fully with the Arnhem Land people and Basedow could do little more than photograph them and observe what he saw while he was with them for a few hours.

The baskets are probably woven from pandanus leaves and used for carrying food.

The dog in this image might be a dingo. Aboriginal people would sometimes take dogs to help with hunting, or keep them for companionship. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a four-month exploration of Arnhem Land, south-east of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

# data[].spatial[].title
Liverpool River, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Rock engravings, Deception Creek, Red Gorge, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, between 1905 and 1914

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Rock carvings. A very definite picture of a lizard fully 60cm long stands out boldly.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a rockface engraved with a set of images, one of which looks like a goanna or crocodile.

These designs were most likely created using a sharp-edged rock in a pounding motion. To maintain its edge the engraver stone would need to be much harder than the stone surface being worked. Some grinding or grooving action may also have been used. 

Basedow took this photograph at Deception Creek in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. He asked local people about the meanings of these carvings but he was told that no-one knew. The object at the bottom-left of the frame could be a geological instrument, a spirit level, or a ruler to indicate the scale of the engravings.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during one of Basedow's six field trips to the Flinders Ranges region of South Australia between 1905 and about 1913. His initial visits were primarily geological investigations on behalf of the South Australian Mines Department. Later trips may have been to continue his investigations of Aboriginal rock engravings that he had seen in the region.

# data[].spatial[].title
Deception Creek, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Deception Creek, Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Rock engraving of human form, Port Hedland, Western Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1916

# data[].description
Reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XL/1. Caption reads: 'Rock-carving of human form, Port Hedland.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative showing rock engraving of human form.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a rock surface engraved with a humanoid figure and a series of what appear to be animal footprints.

Aboriginal people sometimes created rock art by engraving or pecking designs on rock surfaces. The designs are most likely created using a sharp-edged rock in a pounding motion. To maintain its edge the engraver stone would need to be much harder than the stone surface being worked. Some grinding or grooving action may also have been used. Basedow did not record any meanings for this engraving, which he photographed at Port Hedland in 1916.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia to investigate a reported deposit of metal that would be useful for munitions.

# data[].spatial[].title
North Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
North Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - An episode in the great fire ceremony, Forrest River mission, Western Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1916

# data[].description
Reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XXXII. Caption reads: 'An epidode of the great fire ceremony, Kolaia tribe. / "Presently the music  starts again, and the spirit known as 'Ngardaddi' is seen to be steathily creeping towards the fire, his body lying flat upon the ground and his legs dragging behind." '

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative showing an Aboriginal man wearing a conical headdress on his hands and knees.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a heavily-scarred man on his hands and knees on flat, sandy ground. He wears very little but he has a prominent hat, comprised of a tight-fitted bowl and a long pole extending upward. The hat is decorated with small feathers, and a bundle of larger feathers is attached to the top of the pole.

In this photograph, the man is dressed as a spirit being called Ngardaddi, in a headdress with black cockatoo feathers at its peak. His performance was part of a ceremony that had two moral aspects to it - to teach the audience the value of fire and to teach people not to steal.

The man's scars, or cicatrices, are characteristic of those of men in the Kimberley region. Decorative scarring was practised all over Australia for various purposes.

This photograph actually depicts a replay of the ceremony, which was performed at night. In the early 20th century night photography was difficult and could be dangerous. So in this case, someone put the headdress on during the day so that Basedow could photograph him wearing it.

The ceremony was performed at a mission on the Forrest River, which is now an Aboriginal settlement known as Oombulgurri. Basedow stopped there for several nights during his visit to the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia in 1916. The performance was a reciprocal gesture, following a slide show that the missionary, ER Gribble, staged for the mission residents, where he showed images mostly taken at missions in Queensland. After the slide show, the residents performed a number of their own ceremonies. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia to investigate a reported deposit of metal that would be useful for munitions.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Copy negative - Boy practicing with toy shield and boomerang, Arrernte people, Alberga Creek, South Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920-1924

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece And Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XIV/1. Caption reads: 'Arunndta boy practising with toy shield and boomerang.' 1985.0060.2644.001 is a copy film negative produced at the Australian Institute of Anatomy most likely from a print or the original negative which is now presumed lost.

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative. Caption: Boy practicing with toy shield and boomerang. Aranda tribe, central Australia.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a boy standing with a toy shield and boomerang.

Aboriginal children found plenty of ways to have fun, inventing a game using found objects - a rock or tree branch - or playing with a miniature object that an adult might make for them, such as a tiny canoe or digging stick. Here, this Arrernte boy is playing with a boomerang and toy shield made of eucalypt bark with three sticks inserted as handles. He was photographed at Alberga Creek (probably at Todmorden station) between 1920 and 1924. Basedow collected this shield and it is in the National Museum of Australia's collection.

To develop skills they would use as adults, children practised from an early age. To learn fighting skills their parents would make toy weapons. Either these were smaller versions of those adults used, or they were roughly-made substitutes.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was probably taken during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia, but could have been 1923 or 1924.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Film negative - Girl, Unnrubinna, tobogganing on the granite slopes at Kurrekapinya Soakage, Ayers Ranges, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1903

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in 'Journal of the Government North-West Expedition', "Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch", vol. XV, plate 55/2. Caption reads 'GIRL PICCANINNY, UNNRUBINNA, TOBOGGANING ON THE GRANITE SLOPES AT KURREKAPINNYA SOAKAGE, AUGUST 6th. / The girl was photographed in the act of sliding down the smooth track described in the text [pp. 205-206].'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative showing a naked Aboriginal child slidind down a rock slope.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a child sliding down a bare granite rockface. The rock is in focus but because the figure is moving, it is blurred. Track marks coming toward the camera suggest that it is a well-used slide.

Aboriginal children found plenty of ways to have fun, inventing a game using found objects - a rock or tree branch - or playing with a miniature object that an adult might make for them, such as a tiny canoe or digging stick. In this case, the fun comes from a sloping rock surface - a natural slippery dip. The child, Unnrubinna, has crafted a mat of reeds to sit on as she slides. Basedow took this photograph in 1903 at Kurrekapinya Soakage in the Ayers Ranges, Northern Territory.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a five-and-a-half-month minerals exploration of north-west South Australia (and some way into the Northern Territory) on behalf of the South Australian government.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Week old baby sleeping in a wooden container, Innamincka station, South Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1919

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: In various parts of Central Australia the wooden food carrier is also used as a cradle.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a naked baby boy asleep in an oblong wooden container resting on sandy ground. His feet are a little wrinkly, as those of newborn babies sometimes are.

Implements used by Aboriginal people often have more than one function. In many places bark and wooden containers also act as cradles, as seen here at Innamincka station. With the baby sleeping in it, the container is set down on the sandy ground. The mother can then rock it gently with her foot, freeing up her hands for other activities like food preparation.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's first medical relief expedition to north-east South Australia.

# data[].spatial[].title
Innamincka Homestead, South Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Preparing for an emu hunt, Wogait people, Anson Bay, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1905-1911

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Natives prepare for emu hunt. Wogait people, Anson Bay, N.T.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a group of a group of 19 men and boys standing on open ground with spears and spearthrowers poised as if testing them. All of the figures wear a form of loin covering. One is in trousers. Another figure is seated in the bottom-right corner of the frame, observing the scene, and several more are sitting behind the standing group. In the background is a grove of trees and to the left is a large hill. Another group of people is just visible, seated, under the trees.

This photograph shows Wogait men and boys, of Anson Bay in the Northern Territory, most likely preparing for a hunt. In inland areas such as this one, their prey would include kangaroos, wallabies, emus, bustards and other large game. However, if they came across smaller animals like lizards they would likely try to catch them as well. 

Children learned the skills they would need as adults through games and by joining in with adult activities such as hunting.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was probably taken during the 1905 geological exploration of north-west Northern Territory, but could have been taken as late as 1911.

# data[].spatial[].title
Anson Bay, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Anson Bay, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Film negative - Different ways of wearing the hair, Petermann Ranges, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1926

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Mail" (18 September 1926). Caption reads: 'Types of Australian natives found in Petermann Ranges, Northern Territory, by the Mackay Expedition.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative showing two Aboriginal men viewed from the waist up looking at them from the left side.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of the top half of two men. Each has a long beard and long hair that is tied back in a unique way.

Basedow photographed these men in the Petermann Ranges in 1926. Men in this region kept their hair long, although the older man on the left does not seem to have particularly long hair. It is hard to say what his headband is made from but the younger man's seems to be made from human hair string. When men had their tied in a 'bob' like the man on the right, they sometimes carried small items in it, such as a stone flake or pituri - a herb for chewing.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a four-month expedition to explore central Australia sponsored by pastoralist Donald Mackay.

# data[].spatial[].title
Petermann Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Woman decorated with pipe-clay markings, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1923

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Woman decorated with pipe-clay markings.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of the top half of a woman facing the camera. To her left is another woman, and in the background are four more. Each woman is painted with stripes of white pipe-clay on her face, along below her collar bones, and down her upper arms and breasts. Also visible on the woman in the front and centre of the photograph are small scars running across her chest, under her breasts. 

Decorative scarring was practised all over Australia, by both men and women, from adolescent years onward. This woman is also painted with white clay to take part in a ceremony. Along with other women and men, she was to perform a dance for Sir Tom Bridges, Governor of South Australia, when he visited Alice Springs in 1923.

When dignitaries visited towns it was customary to arrange a series of events to mark their visit. In central Australia, as elsewhere, this often involved local Aboriginal people performing traditional dances. Under normal circumstances, Aboriginal ceremonies can last for days, weeks or even months. So when performing for dignitaries, dances were often cut short to fit within the schedule of the visitor.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition with the Governor of South Australia, whose plans for building a north-south railway involved first seeing the region for himself.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Lantern slide - Pitjantjatjara man, central Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920-1924

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece And Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate IV/2. Caption reads: 'Wongapitcha warrior, so-called Semitic type.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white lantern slide showing a bearded Aboriginal man from the chest up viewed from the front with long hair and white lines painted on his chest and face.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a portrait photograph by Herbert Basedow of a man with long hair, a long beard and white paint on his face and chest.

We know that this is a Pitjantjatjara man, but unfortunately we do not know much more than that about him. His painted markings indicate that he may have recently taken part in a ceremony. He is wearing a headband, probably made of a long, single strand of human hair string. In this region men did not usually cut their hair much and would keep it in place with a headband. Today, men in this region do much the same, although their headbands are often of red wool.

Basedow took many excellent portraits of Aboriginal people. On the whole they look relaxed, perhaps indicating Basedow's ability to put them at ease. In most cases Basedow would have had limited contact with his subjects, and under such circumstances it can be difficult to produce a good image.

The digital copy of this photograph was made from a lantern slide. In the early twentieth century, if you wanted to project a photograph onto a large screen, you would use a lantern slide. Creating a lantern slide involved transferring an image onto glass. To protect the emulsion (which contains the image), a second piece of glass was taped to the first.
 
The reason this image was produced from a lantern slide rather than a negative is because the National Museum of Australia does not hold the original negative. The Museum's Basedow photograph collection comprises negatives and lantern slides, but there is not always a negative for the image.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken either during during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia or during an expedition with the Governor of South Australia, whose plans for building a north-south railway involved first seeing the region for himself.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Lantern slide - Man scraping boomerang with a sharp stone flake, Luritja people, central Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece And Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate LV/2. Caption reads: 'Aluridja man scraping a boomerang with a sharp stone flake.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Lantern slide of a black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Man scraping boomerang with a sharp stone flake. Kukatja tribe, central Australia.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a man sitting in the entrance to a shelter, scraping a boomerang. He is painted across his face, chest, shoulders and upper arms, and is wearing a bundle of feathers tied into his hair.

This Luritja man's paint, and the feathers in his hair, might indicate that he has taken part in a ceremony. The feathers are most likely from a black cockatoo, but could also be from a hawk.

He is seen here smoothing down a boomerang with a stone flake. This would be the final stage of manufacture apart from adding grooved lines on one side (characteristic of boomerangs in this area) and applying red ochre mixed with animal fat, which worked as a preservative. To make this form of boomerang a piece of hardwood would have been removed from a tree, quite likely mulga, with a hand-held stone chopper. This may be used to roughly shape the 'blank' which could be further shaped by a chisel, a stone blade set in a wooden handle or the end of a spearthrower. The final smoothing then takes place.

The above account describes the manufacture as it would have occurred in pre-contact times. By the time Basedow visited this area, in 1920, people had had access to metal tools for a considerable time. While this man almost certainly would have been knowledgeable about stone implements, he most likely used metal tools to make tools. Accordingly, Basedow probably asked this man to pose as if using the stone flake. 

The digital copy of this photograph was made from a lantern slide. In the early twentieth century, if you wanted to project a photograph onto a large screen, you would use a lantern slide. Creating a lantern slide involved transferring an image onto glass. To protect the emulsion (which contains the image), a second piece of glass was taped to the first.
 
The reason this image was produced from a lantern slide rather than a negative is because the National Museum of Australia does not hold the original negative. The Museum's Basedow photograph collection comprises negatives and lantern slides, but there is not always a negative for the image.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia.

# data[].spatial[].title
Central Australia, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Central Australia, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Black and white negative glass lantern slide - Expedition guides next to wet-weather huts, photographed by Herbert Basedow, Liverpool River, 1928

# data[].physicalDescription
An original negative taken by Herbert Basedow in 1928 (?) . Caption: Wet-weather hut of the unmarried men. Long bark-shelter. Headwaters of Liverpool River, N.T.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a group of people sitting in front of a large, low shelter. A child is sitting on the shoulders of one of the four adults. The frame of the shelter is of sturdy wooden sticks, and its roof is made from large rectangles of flattened bark. Behind it is a stand of tall trees.

Depending on where they lived, Arnhem Land people might only move camps two or three times a year. They would spend the dry season (the middle of the calendar year) in lower areas including flood plains and the wet seasons in higher areas such as the escarpment. They built different shelters depending on the time of year. Wet season shelters, such as this one, were more substantial in order to keep the rain out. They were constructed of sheets of paperbark over a wooden frame. Sometimes to while the time away, people would paint designs in ochre on the inside of the shelters.

Aboriginal people regard seasons differently to white people. In Arnhem Land, for example, where white people divide the year into the wet and the dry, Aboriginal people have up to seven seasons. These are characterised by different weather patterns and the appearance of certain plants and animals. This is one reflection of the deep understanding Aboriginal people have of their environments.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during a four-month exploration of Arnhem Land, south-east of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

# data[].spatial[].title
Liverpool River, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Liverpool River, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - The game of 'gorri', Humbert River station, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1922

# data[].description
Reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XIII/1. Caption reads: 'The game of "gorri," Humbert River, Northern Territory.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative, shows men and boys trowing spears at a bark disc.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of three men and two boys moving toward the left of the frame. Three hold spears, ready to throw. The other two appear to have just thrown a spear. The spears are aimed at a dinner-plate-sized bark disc, which can just be seen behind the left arm of the boy on the left. Two other people observe the activity in the background.

All over Aboriginal Australia men, youths and sometimes boys play games where they try to spear moving targets. Often the targets are round discs of bark. In the Humbert River area two sides take it in turns to spear the disc rolled in front of them. Games such as this help the younger players develop their spear-throwing skills.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition to the Victoria River district south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory, on behalf of the Mararoa Gold Mining Company.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Film negative - Aboriginal children bathing, Sunday Island, Western Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1916

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in 'Narrative of an Expedition of Exploration in North-Western Australia', "Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch", vol. XVIII, 1918, plate XVII/1. Caption reads: 'Aboriginal children bathing, Sunday Island, May 9th.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white film negative. Caption: Aboriginal children bathing. Sunday Island W.A.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of six children bathing in a body of water. In the background is a steeply sloping rock face where many small shrubs grow. The children are arranged on and around a mostly-submerged rock or treestump. Two are standing up, out of the water, fully visible. The other four are half in the water. Everyone is looking at the camera.

On Sunday Island in northern Western Australia, Basedow saw a group of children swimming in the ocean nearby. Occasionally the children would rest on a submerged mangrove tree stump. As Basedow put it, they "unconsciously pos[ed] as a human pyramid".

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia to investigate a reported deposit of metal that would be useful for munitions.

# data[].spatial[].title
Sunday Island, Western Australia, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Sunday Island, Western Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Man stalking  kangaroo, central Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. An indigenous man with body paint and headdress, on his hands and knees holding a spear in his right hand and a spearthrower in his left.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a man on his knees and one hand, facing to the left of the frame. In his right hand he holds a spear and in his left hand he holds a spearthrower. A bundle of feathers is tied into his hair.

This Luritja man's paint, and the feathers in his hair, might indicate that he has taken part in a ceremony. The feathers are most likely from a black cockatoo, but could also be from a hawk.

He is seen here demonstrating to Basedow how he would stalk an animal such as a kangaroo. To stalk a kangaroo a man would carry only a spear and a spearthrower. He might cover all of his body, or just his under-arms, with dirt or mud to mask his human smell. 

He would approach the animal slowly and quietly while it was not looking. When the animal looked around, as herbivores frequently do while they are grazing, he would remain still. When he was close enough he would spear the animal. If it was not killed outright, the hunter would track it until he caught it, and finish it off with his spearthrower or a piece of wood.

The type of spear this man is using comprises multiple parts. The shaft is made of two or three sections and the head is also a separate part. To join the parts, people in central Australia and beyond would use kangaroo or emu sinew (tendons from a leg), and sometimes resin from spinifex grass. The spear's head has a barb attached to it in the same way. One advantage of multiple parts is if the spear is broken only part of it has to be replaced.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Men fighting with clubs called 'kutturu', Luritja people, Finke River, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece And Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XIII/2. Caption reads: 'A "Kutturu" duel, Aluridja tribe.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Kutturu duel. Kukatja tribe, Finke River.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of two men engaged in what appears to be a duel with wooden clubs. The men step toward each other, one with his club raised to strike; the other with his club held horizontal, with one hand at each end, to defend. The ground is sandy and behind the men there are rocks, a small river or pond, and the ground beyond is dotted with trees. 

Basedow took this photograph at the Aboriginal camp attached to Henbury station, Northern Territory, in 1920. Probably, the duel is being staged for Basedow.

These men are using hardwood clubs. Often, a dispute is settled by a kind of 'duel' between two men - or two women, who would use similar clubs. One person would try to hit the other, while the other defends. Then they would swap, taking it in turns to inflict an injury. Usually, when one person is injured the matter is regarded as being settled. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia.

# data[].spatial[].title
Finke River, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Finke River, Northern Territory, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Rock paintings, Forrest River, Western Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1916

# data[].description
Reproduced by  Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece and Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XLVII/1. Caption reads: 'Cave drawings (kangaroo, etc.), Forrest River, north-western Australia.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative showing rock paintings of animals and other motifs on a vertical rock face.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a rockface that is painted with images of handprints, a footprint, animal prints, and animal figures.

Aboriginal people painted on rock surfaces using four main colours - red, yellow, black and white. Only rarely were other colours employed. Red, yellow and white come from rocks and clay, and black often from charcoal. To create the pigment, the material would be ground on a stone palette and mixed with water to create a paste. It would then be applied to the rock using a brush or fingers. 

We do not have much information about the meaning of the art. Basedow seems not to have recorded any meanings for the motifs seen in this photograph, taken at the Forrest River in 1916.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition in the Kimberley region of north-east Western Australia to investigate a reported deposit of metal that would be useful for munitions.

# data[].spatial[].title
Forrest River, Western Australia, Australia

# data[].spatial[].title
Forrest River, Western Australia, Australia

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Two men throwing spears

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Two men throwing spears.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of two men who are each throwing a spear with the aid of a spearthrower. 

Spearthrowers enable people to throw a spear further and faster. To use a spearthrower, the concave (hollowed-out) end of the spear is placed onto the peg of the thrower. The narrower part of the spearthrower rests in the palm, and the spear rests on the middle to little fingers, held in place with the thumb and forefinger. Timing the release is critical, so that the spear doesn't come off the peg either too early or too late in the throw. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition to the Victoria River district south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory, on behalf of the Mararoa Gold Mining Company.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Old man in front of his hut, Yandruwandha people, Innamincka district, South Australia, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1919

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative showing an elderly man wearing a pubic cover standing in front of a hut.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of an elderly man standing in front of a small wood-framed shelter. He wears a tassled loin cover, and has tied some string into his beard. The shelter is covered with a mix of leafy branches and European fabric. Woven materials for closing the entrance to the hut are tied back with rope. On the roof is a metal billy can, and next to the man is a bundle of clothing, a tin cup and a dog. 

This Yandruwandha man was photographed on a cattle station in the Innamincka disctrict of north-eastern South Australia in 1919. By this time Aboriginal people could not live off the land because their food supplies had been disrupted by livestock, fences and other aspects of white settlement. Accordingly they moved to centres like towns and pastoral stations. At some of these sites, rations and blankets from the government would be handed out.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's first medical relief expedition to north-east South Australia.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Man holding north-western type of spearthrower and wearing pubic fur tassel, Wardaman people, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1922

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece And Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate XIV/2. Caption reads: 'Wordaman warrior, holding prevalent north-westewrn type of spear-thrower and wearing pubic fur tassel.'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Warrior, holding prevalent north-western type of spearthrower and wearing pubic fur tassel.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of a man standing on flat, grassy ground holding a wooden spearthrower. He is wearing a tassled loin cover held in place by a string around his waist.

This is a Wadaman man in the Victoria River district, Northern Territory. His loin cover is made of string, probably of animal fur. It hangs from a waistband comprised of a single strand of string, possibly made from woven human hair. Note also his scars, or cicatrices. Although he lived reasonably close to the Kimberley, where cicatrices are very prominent, his own are more subtle.

Spearthrowers vary from one region to another, but they all have a narrower part for holding, and a peg bound on at the opposite end (in this image, under the man's thumb). The longest spearthrowers are made in the Victoria River district, in the eastern part of the Kimberley, as seen here. In central Australia spearthrowers tend to be shorter, wider, and concave in cross-section. They may also may have a stone blade in the handle end - something that is not seen in the northern form. In south-eastern Australia most spearthrowers are even shorter and made of one piece of wood.

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during an expedition to the Victoria River district south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory, on behalf of the Mararoa Gold Mining Company.

# data[]._meta.copyright
Copyright National Museum of Australia / CC BY-NC

# data[].title
Glass plate negative - Old Kai Kai, a Western Arrernte man, Henbury station, Northern Territory, photographed by Herbert Basedow, 1920

# data[].description
Reproduced by Basedow in "The Australian Aboriginal", FW Preece And Sons, Adelaide, 1925, plate VIII. Caption reads: 'Old Kai-Kai, the leading medicine man of the western Arunndta. / "The medicine man is not so much an individual who has the knowledge of medicinal values of herbs and surgical practices as one who is the recognized sorcerer. . . ." / (Note also the emu-feather skull cap, light-wood shield, and "Kutturu.")'

# data[].physicalDescription
Black and white glass plate negative. Caption: Old Kai Kai, the leading medecine man of the western Aranda. 'The medicine man is not so much an individual who has the knowledge of medicinal values of herbs and surgical practices as one who is the recognized sorcerer..'. Note also the emu-feather skull cap, light-wood shield, and 'Kutturu'.

# data[].educationalSignificance
This is a photograph by Herbert Basedow of an elderly man sitting on his knees on fine sandy ground. He wears a head-covering made of feathers and string. To his left is a shield and to his right is a wooden club.

This Western Arrernte man's name was Kai Kai (in Basedow's spelling) and Basedow photographed him in the Aboriginal camp attached to Henbury station, Northern Territory, in 1920. He was a native doctor. Kai Kai told Basedow he remembered the first white people to reach that region, possibly in the 1860s. Unfortunately, Basedow does not provide any indication of who they may have been.

Kai Kai is wearing a head covering made of emu feathers, which Basedow called alleumemba, secured with string. By his side lie a softwood shield and a hardwood club of a kind used for fighting. The shield is a defensive weapon. It may have a painted design on its front surface.

Often, a dispute is settled by a kind of 'duel' between two men - or two women, who use similar clubs. One person would try to hit the other, while the other defends. Then they would swap, taking it in turns to inflict an injury. Usually, when one person is injured the matter is regarded as being settled. 

Herbert Basedow was a doctor, anthropologist and explorer. From 1903 to 1928 he ventured to remote regions of central and northern Australia - places rarely seen by Australians even today. Aboriginal people often feature in his photographs. Basedow wanted to document Aboriginal cultures as they had been before British colonisation, and often went to some lengths to craft his photographs to appear as such.

This photograph was taken during Basedow's third medical relief expedition in central Australia.

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