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Portrait of Anthony Martin Fernando (1920s to 1930s)
This portrait of Fernando, by Raj Nagi, often stood outside London's Australia House wrapped in a long coat sewn over with toy skeletons. He cried "This is what the Australian government has done to Aboriginal people." -
Indigenous Children Taken Away
Photograph of Aborigines protesting against the government, who were taking away their children to be raised in 'white culture'. It was assumed by the government that indigenous children raised by white parents were better treated. -
Australian Aborigines League (Late 1940s to Early 1950s)
This is a hand-made banner meant to promote the Australian Aborigines League, a Melbourne-based Aboriginal protest organisation. It was well known for its public activites, such as organising a petition during the 1930s to King George V, seeking parliamentary representation for Aboriginal people. -
Scrap Metal
This piece of scrap metal was used in the mission housing in which some Aborigines were forced to live. The poor infrastructure shows how poorly the Aborigines were treated. -
Human Rights for Australian Aborigines
This book was written by Mary M. Bennett, of significance because she was white and was a teacher and advocate of Aboriginal rights. -
Albert Namatjira and Citizenship
Albert Namitjira, a famous artist, signing autographs. He was publicly regarded as an example of an Aboriginal person who had succeeded in white society. After acquiring Australian citizenship and breaking the law by drinking alcohol -- illegal for 'wards', i.e. Aboriginal people -- the state and federal governments were shown that they were wrong to set up 'Aboriginal' and 'citizen' as mutually exclusive categories. -
Dog Tag (1950s to 1960s)
In the 1960s, Aborigines were allowed to become "Australian Citizens". This was an exemption certificate which Indigenous people were required to carry at all times to show their 'citizenship'. Aboriginal people called them 'dog tags'. -
Douglas Nicholls
This is a picture of Douglas Nicholls playing football. He was the first Aboriginal to be knighted, and was later appointed the Governor of South Australia in 1976. -
Wharfies' Hook (1950s to 1960s)
This wharfies' hook was used by Joe McGinness, a well-known campaigner for Indigenous rights in Australia. Joe served in Borneo during WWII. After that, he workde on the wharves in Queensland, where he joined the Waterside Workers Federation. He used his hook during his work, which was of significance because he was accepted as a worker of equal status, something not common among occupations for Aborigines at the time. -
John Moriarty's Dressing Gown
This is a dressing gown owned by John Moriarty, who was removed from his family and sent to children's homes in Adelaide and, later, Sydney. He kept the dressing gown from his childhood; he later returned home. -
Yirrkala Petition
This petition from Yirrkala residents, embedded in a bark painting, concerned the proposed mining of their traditional lands. It was sent to the Prime Minister; despite losing their case to the mining company, they later got their land back. -
Sabu Sing's 'Wave Hill spur'
A 'Wave Hill spur' owned by Sabu Sing, a well-known cattleman in the area. This is representative of the 'Wave Hill walk-off' in August 1966, when Aboriginal pastoral workers walked off the job in protest of their poor working conditions and disrespectful treatment. -
Faith Bandler's Gloves
Faith Bandler's town gloves (or day gloves), which she wore while lobbying for the recognition of Aboriginal Australians as Australian citizens. Bandler recalled wearing these when addressing predominantly white female audiences during the campaign for the 1967 referendum. -
1967 Referendum
The voting booth and boting box used in the 1967 referendum. The referendum gave the government the power to legistlate for the Aboriginal people as a group and allow them to be counted in the census. This was seen by many as a recognition of Aboriginal people's rights as full citizens. -
Seats of Segregation
These seats were used in the Bowraville Theatre. Martin Ballangarry, a Gumbayngirr elder, campaigner and spokesperson, recalls having to sit separately from others at the local cinema, on a hard bench-like seat rather than the comfortable plush chairs white people were allowed to use. The seats were used until the 1970s. -
Return of Land Rights
This photograph was taken on August 16, 1975 when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam visited Daguragu. He handed back the traditional land rights to the Gurindji people, nine years after many of them walked off the job to protest for equal pay and rights.
