A corroboree for the Countess of Kintore: Enlivening histories through objects

Abstract

This paper discusses a corroboree performed in Darwin in 1893 to illustrate the potential of British ethnographic collections for researching overlooked historical events. The performance was brought to light after a collection of Aboriginal artefacts used in it was noted and examined by the author in the collections of Marischal Museum, Aberdeen, in 2016. The description of the performance and associated objects extends understanding of the nature of cross-cultural engagements in late nineteenth-century Darwin and raises museological questions about methodologies for engaging Aboriginal people in the research and interpretation of historic objects.1