As anthropologists, historians and linguists are aware, historical documents, or unpublished sources, can contain important information on aspects of Pacific Islander and Australian Aboriginal cultures. Over three days, this workshop will explore the historical archives and the research techniques required to identify and interpret material relevant to kinship, land, social organisation and language.

Beginning with an introduction on archives; their formation, their organisation, what is in them and what isn’t, the workshop will include a master class at St Mark’s National Memorial Library (Canberra), the repository of much of Lorimer Fison’s collection of kinship data.

The target audience will be anthropologists, linguists and historians—be they students, practitioners or academic staff—and may be of interest to those working in Heritage and Native Title. Registration is not necessary but if you are interested in attending, please contact Piers Kelly.

The draft program schedule:

Tuesday 28 January

9.30–11am: Helen Gardner introductory seminar ‘Hunting Fison: finding archival material relevant to the writing of Kamilaroi and Kurnai’.

Using Lorimer Fison’s complex archive of manuscript material as an example, Helen Gardner will present on searching for, handling and interpreting the Fison archive. Her presentation will include:

• Where the Fison manuscript material is held and why it is spread over such a wide number of institutions.
• The differences in cataloguing and accessing the material according to the institution.
• The mediums in which the Fison archival material is held: eg microfilm, online, hard-copy.
• Handling and reading issues: including problems with handwriting, sifting through uncatalogued material, dealing with microfilm.
• Interpreting missionary material.

1–4pm: Visit to St Mark’s National Memorial Library.

Wednesday 29 January and Thursday 30 January

Presenters will include Jeanie Bell (Batchelor Institute), Bruce Birch (Iwaidja Inyman), Tony Jefferies (ANU), James Rose (NTSCORP) and Jan Tent (Macquarie University) who will present informal workshops on using oral history, genealogy and historical documents for the reconstruction of family, social organisation, land and language groups. Presenters will include extracts from archival and historical documents for discussion by the group.

A more detailed program will be circulated in late December.