Berndt Museum of Anthropology
Encyclopedia
The Berndt Museum of Anthropology was founded in 1976 by Ronald Berndt
and Catherine Berndt
. The museum was established to house the extensive collections accumulated by Ronald and Catherine Berndt during their lifelong careers as anthropologists. Although initially called the Anthropology Research Museum, it was renamed in 1992 in honor of the museum’s founders and principal benefactors. It is located on the grounds at the University of Western Australia
, Campus Crawley.
Housing over 11,500 objects and 32,000 photographs, the museum contains one of the finest collections of Aboriginal art and cultural artifacts in the world according to the Collections Australia Network (CAN). The collection consists of contemporary and historical Aboriginal Australian material culture from regions such as Arnhem Land, Kimberley, Pilbara, the South-West and the Western Desert. The museum also houses a substantial Asian and Papua New Guinea collection.
Plans are now underway to raise funds to develop a new purpose-built complex that will permentally house the Berndt Museum.
Ronald Berndt
Ronald Murray Berndt was an Australian anthropologist. With his wife Catherine Berndt, they worked in the Northern Territory, in the Daly River....
and Catherine Berndt
Catherine Berndt
Catherine H. Berndt , born in Auckland, was an Australian anthropologist. She published valuable monographs on Aboriginal Australia, including Changing ceremonies in Northern Australia ....
. The museum was established to house the extensive collections accumulated by Ronald and Catherine Berndt during their lifelong careers as anthropologists. Although initially called the Anthropology Research Museum, it was renamed in 1992 in honor of the museum’s founders and principal benefactors. It is located on the grounds at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, Campus Crawley.
Housing over 11,500 objects and 32,000 photographs, the museum contains one of the finest collections of Aboriginal art and cultural artifacts in the world according to the Collections Australia Network (CAN). The collection consists of contemporary and historical Aboriginal Australian material culture from regions such as Arnhem Land, Kimberley, Pilbara, the South-West and the Western Desert. The museum also houses a substantial Asian and Papua New Guinea collection.
Plans are now underway to raise funds to develop a new purpose-built complex that will permentally house the Berndt Museum.
Related Publications
- Friends of the Berndt Museum of Anthropology (1993). Newsletter University of Western Australia, Friends of the Berndt Museum of Anthropology, Nedlands, W.A
- Berndt Museum of Anthropology 1997, Berndt news : newsletter of the Berndt Museum of Anthropology University of Western Australia, Berndt Museum of Anthropology, Nedlands, W.A