This book offers the first in-depth enquiry into the origins of the 135 Indigenous Australian objects acquired by the Royal Navy between 1795 and 1855, and held now by the British Museum. In response to increasing calls for the 'decolonisation' of museums, and the restitution of ethnographic collections, the book seeks to return knowledge of the moments, methods, and motivations whereby Indigenous Australian objects were first collected, and sent to Britain. By structuring its discussion in terms of the three main 'stages' of a typical naval voyage to Australia - departure from British shores, arrival on the continent's coasts, and final return to port - the book offers a composite and complete understanding of the pathways first followed by these 135 objects. The book explores numerous new understandings of Indigenous Australian peoples' reactions to British visitors, and furthermore contributes a series of important and original insights into the provenance and meaning of many of theworld's oldest Indigenous Australian object collections.

Auteur
Daniel Simpson is Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. His research explores the history of maritime encounters and naval ethnographic collecting in Australia and the South Pacific.

Résumé
This book offers the first in-depth enquiry into the origins of 135 Indigenous Australian objects acquired by the Royal Navy between 1795 and 1855 and held now by the British Museum. In response to increasing calls for the 'decolonisation' of museums and the restitution of ethnographic collections, the book seeks to return knowledge of the moments, methods, and motivations whereby Indigenous Australian objects were first collected and sent to Britain. By structuring its discussion in terms of three key 'stages' of a typical naval voyage to Australiadeparture from British shores, arrival on the continent's coasts, and eventual return to portthe book offers a nuanced and multifaceted understanding of the pathways followed by these 135 objects into the British Museum. The book offers important new understandings of Indigenous Australian peoples' reactions to naval visitors, and contains a wealth of original research on the provenance and meaning of some of the world's oldest extant Indigenous Australian object collections.

Contenu

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Part I Departures

Chapter 2 The Science of Naval Collecting

Chapter 3 Commissioning Indigenous Australia

Chapter 4 Discipline and Authority

Part II Coastal Collecting

Chapter 5 Beaches

Chapter 6 Sounds

Chapter 7 Islands and Peninsulas

Part III Disembarkation