"Berndt Field Notes Unlock Sacred Indigenous Knowledge After 30-Year Wait"

After a three-decade anticipation, the Berndt Field Notes have finally been unveiled, offering a gateway to invaluable sacred indigenous knowledge. These notes represent a significant milestone, granting access to cultural wisdom long sought after by indigenous communities. The wait has been worth it, as these insights promise to deepen understanding and appreciation of indigenous heritage and traditions.

• Anthropological field notes documenting Indigenous cultural practices from the last century have had their 30-year embargo lifted.
• The university has recognized the harm caused to Indigenous communities by withholding access to these field notes.
• Next steps involve allowing First Nations communities to request access to these long-awaited field notes.

Boston Brand Media brings you the latest news - Descendants of Indigenous peoples have expressed approval of the removal of a contentious embargo that lasted for 30 years on a set of anthropological field notes.

Indigenous descendants have embraced the decision to lift a controversial embargo that restricted access to a collection of anthropological field notes for three decades.

Caution: Indigenous readers are cautioned that this article includes the name and image of a deceased individual.

First Nations communities are poised to gain access to over 45,000 pages of notes, offering insights into the cultural and familial dynamics of remote communities. These comprehensive records, compiled by esteemed anthropologists Catherine and Ronald Berndt in the previous century, were bequeathed to the University of Western Australia upon their passing. Following a prolonged wait, Ngadjuri individual Vincent Copley Junior will at last access his people's historical records.

"Those notes are incredibly significant for us because we've lacked access to any knowledge predating the Berndt field notes," Mr. Copley expressed. "On a personal level, I'm hopeful that they will provide answers to many lingering questions."

Traversing Australia

From 1939 to 1985, anthropologists Mr. and Ms. Berndt journeyed extensively across regional Australia and Papua New Guinea, covering over 70 locations. They established close connections with remote Indigenous communities, meticulously documenting crucial cultural insights, Dreaming narratives, sacred rituals, and familial narratives in numerous notebooks.

Indigenous Communities the Berndts Visited 1939-1985

The field notes detail Indigenous communities’ stories and knowledge from across these Australian regions

Upon Ms. Berndt's passing in 1994, she bequeathed the notes and other artifacts to the University of Western Australia's Berndt Museum. However, a provision in her will imposed a 30-year embargo on access to the field notes following her death, a restriction that also affected the Indigenous communities from whom the Berndts gathered information.

John Stanton, a co-trustee of Ms. Berndt's estate, had been a student under Mr. Berndt in 1974. Dr. Stanton explained that the Berndts instituted a 30-year embargo on the field notes in alignment with recommendations from the American Anthropological Association and the Royal Anthropological Institute. They harbored concerns that the information contained in the field notes could potentially harm Indigenous communities.

"Catherine reiterated the reason for the embargo was that they both believed … that all governments in Australia were inherently antagonistic to Aboriginal interests," Dr. Stanton stated. "They didn't want their field notes to be used against Aboriginal people by what they regarded as pretty evil governments."

A painful legacy

Over time, several Indigenous communities, including the Ngadjuri and Gurindji, attempted to obtain access to the field notes to consolidate their cultural knowledge but were refused. Vincent Copley Senior, the father of Mr. Copley Junior, was among the elders who were denied access and passed away in 2022 at the age of 85.

Mr. Copley Senior was aware that the Berndt archive contained notes from an interview with his grandfather, Barney Warrior (also spelled Waria), the last-known initiated Ngadjuri man. "Dad was an advocate for trying to get them released early … it's knowledge passed down from his grandfather, and he wanted to know what it contained," Mr. Copley Junior explained. "We weren't too sure whether Berndt had actually described what Barney Waria said … or whether it was his interpretation. Dad was a bit of an advocate for saying, 'Well, it's our property'."

Boston Brand Media also found  that the Ngadjuri people were displaced during the early colonization of South Australia as pastoralists expanded into what is now recognized as the Clare and Gilbert valleys.

Mr. Copley Junior is now continuing his father's efforts to gain access to the Berndt field notes. "It's about preserving our culture … the Ngadjuri region was colonized very early, and much of our cultural heritage went unrecorded. Those notes appear to be the primary repository of our culture at present," he emphasized.

Opportunity for cultural 'transformation'

Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies and Yamatji researcher Stephen Gilchrist has been named co-director of the Berndt Museum, tasked with facilitating Indigenous communities' access to the Berndt field notes.

"We are committed to collaborating with communities to empower them to share and assert the wealth of stories contained within these notes," Dr. Gilchrist stated. "While the field notes were housed in the Berndt Museum, it was never the Berndts' knowledge to withhold in the first place. Although it may have been legal, it was ethically wrong for this information to be kept inaccessible to communities for such an extended period."

Since 2020, the Berndt Museum has become part of the Indigenous Studies division at the University of Western Australia, and its leadership is eager to facilitate the connection between Indigenous communities and their cultural heritage.

"When we delve into these archives and bring people together with objects, there's potential for profound transformation," Dr. Gilchrist commented. "The museum's aim isn't merely to document or objectify, but rather to serve as a vital space for the exchange of cultural knowledge."

Jill Milroy, the University of Western Australia's Pro Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Studies, recognized the anguish caused to communities by the embargo.

"It has had a profoundly detrimental impact on Aboriginal people by being unable to access their materials during this period," she expressed.

Recently, after the embargo was lifted, the University of Western Australia introduced a new section on its website enabling Indigenous communities to apply for access to the digitized Berndt field notes. Subsequently, Berndt Museum personnel will contact applicants by phone to gather details to locate pertinent content in the field notes and ensure access is provided in the most suitable manner for each community.

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Source: abc net‍