The Donald Thomson Collection

A comprehensive and significant collection of Indigenous cultural heritage material. It was amassed throughout Donald Thomson's academic career mainly as an anthropologist in Aboriginal Australia. The material is primarily from Arnhem Land, Cape York, the Great Sandy Desert and the Gibson Desert in Western Australia, and a small amount originates in the Solomon Islands and West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya). In addition to some 7,200 artefacts, the Collection comprises over 5,300 pages of field notes and 11,000 pages of transcriptions; a quantity of maps, language notes, genealogies, diaries and science notebooks; around 11,000 photographs, negatives and glass plates; 25,000 feet of film and various sound recordings; 2,000 biological specimens; and hundreds of scientific illustrations done in pen and ink, ochres and watercolours. Various manuscripts, reports and correspondence relate to both his academic career and his social justice work.