Week 4: South Australian Museum

Last week on Thursday we were given the opportunity to visit the South Australian Museum to take a guided tour of the Australian Aboriginal Cultures gallery. I had not realised that the SA Museum has the largest collection of Aboriginal artefacts in the world! This truly astonished me and made me realise what a valuable resource the Museum is for preserving the history and culture of the land. What I was a little disappointed about was the tour itself. We spent the majority of our time discussing the flaws of the Museum, such as the way the works are presented in quite a dark atmosphere, which is to try and protect them from deterioration, and the lack of interactive learning resources near the displays and proper provision of specific information. It was excellent to hear that the Museum is working hard to correct these faults and make the space even more encouraging to visit, but we discussed these aspects for so long that we didn't get to hear much information about the artefacts themselves! I would have liked to have been told a little more about certain objects, particularly local ones from the Kaurna people, and out of personal interest more on the textile based works. I particularly enjoyed looking at these feather ornaments. The Museum sign stated that feather ornaments feature in ceremonies across Aboriginal Australia, and that with feathers applied directly to the skin, threaded into the hair, or mounted in headdresses, performers in ceremonies become an incarnation of various Bird Ancestors and other spirit people. However, I don't know which design is from which area, or the age of the pieces. I think that one of the most significant reasons people visit the museum is for learning and information, so I definitely feel there needs to be more provided to properly educate people on Indigenous cultures and have more than an appreciation of them in terms of what appeals to them aesthetically.