The Western Australian Museum represents the diversity of Western Australia's social and cultural history through its collections, research and public programs . The departments of Anthropology and History engage with a wide range of community groups and organisations in representing this diversity.
Recent projects have included the development of the Aboriginal Gallery, Katta Djinoong, the post-war migration exhibition, A New Australia, an environmental history exhibition, Western Australia: Land and People and Foundations of Fremantle examining the early history of Fremantle, along with numerous smaller public programs focusing on issues of sustainability.
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Cart, Fremantle History Museum |
First contact - an acrylic painting by Bai Bai Napangarti, Wirrimanu, 1997 |
The History collections aim to represent the diversity of people's lives in migrating to and living in Western Australia since European settlement. The Anthropology collection has a wide geographic and temporal coverage including objects from Africa, Melanesia, the Pacific, South East Asia, North & South America and Australia. It also includes material from Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt, as well as Aboriginal cultural material dating back to around 43,000 years ago.
The research programs of staff in the Anthropology Department include examining the archaeology of Kimberley coastal economies and the prehistory of early human presence in Western Australia, recording traditional ceremonial practice in Sabah and continuing to conduct research on the collection.
Numerous research programs in the History Department have related primarily to the development of a wide range of exhibitions as well as material culture research and collection development.
Tjuntjuntjarra elders at the opening of Pila Ngura, 2000