Francis James Gillen
Encyclopedia
Francis James Gillen was an early Australia
n anthropologist
and ethnologist
.
Gillen was born at Little Para South Australia
. He entered the public service in 1867, and was employed as a postal messenger at Clare
. He was transferred to Adelaide
in 1871 where his duties also included telegraph operation. In 1875 he became involved in the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line
and was appointed the Alice Springs
post and telegraph Station Master in 1892. At the time Alice Springs was part of South Australia and Gillen, who by virtue of his office held the collateral positions of Special Magistrate and sub-Protector of Aborigines, was effectively the administrator of central Australia.
During his time at Alice Springs he became involved with Aboriginal Australians and in 1894 assisted the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia
. Following the expedition he met W. Baldwin Spencer, they wrote The Native Tribes of Central Australia (1899), though it has been claimed that the authorship was mostly Spencer's. The German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi
was very much inspired by this publication. Later, together with Carl Strehlow
Leonhardi partly opposed Gillen’s sand Spencer’s theses. In 1900 Gillen was elected president of the anthropological of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science held at Melbourne. He enjoyed the experience very much. To Spencer's regret Gillen had been transferred from Alice Springs to Moonta in 1899, but in 1901 he was given leave by the South Australian government to join Spencer in an expedition which took them up to the Gulf of Carpentaria
. Their journey led to the publication of The Northern Tribes of Central Australia (1904). Gillen's final fieldwork endeavour with Spencer was to Peake in South Australia where they camped for a number of weeks gathering further information on Arabanna people for inclusion on their 1904 publication. Gillen was also listed as a co-author of Spencer's The Arunta published in 1927.
Gillen remained at Moonta until July 1908 when he became postmaster at Port Pirie. In that year Spencer was hoping to arrange to go with him to Western Australia, but Gillen's health began to fail and so it was not possible. In 1911 he was weakening physically, and he died on 5 June 1912. His wife, formerly Miss Besley of Mount Gambier, three daughters and two sons survived him. A brother, Peter Paul Gillen, who was for many years a member of the South Australian legislative assembly, predeceased him.
The 'Friends of Gillen' were formed in 2009 and had their first inaugural meeting in 2010. Membership of the group is unknown.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and ethnologist
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
.
Gillen was born at Little Para South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. He entered the public service in 1867, and was employed as a postal messenger at Clare
Clare, South Australia
The town of Clare is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.-History:One of the first settlers in the area was John Horrocks, in 1839...
. He was transferred to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in 1871 where his duties also included telegraph operation. In 1875 he became involved in the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line
Australian Overland Telegraph Line
The Australian Overland Telegraph Line was a 3200 km telegraph line that connected Darwin with Port Augusta in South Australia. Completed in 1872 the Overland Telegraph Line allowed fast communication between Australia and the rest of the world. An additional section was added in 1877 with the...
and was appointed the Alice Springs
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
post and telegraph Station Master in 1892. At the time Alice Springs was part of South Australia and Gillen, who by virtue of his office held the collateral positions of Special Magistrate and sub-Protector of Aborigines, was effectively the administrator of central Australia.
During his time at Alice Springs he became involved with Aboriginal Australians and in 1894 assisted the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia
Horn Expedition
The Horn Scientific Expedition was the first primarily scientific expedition to study the natural history of Central Australia. It took place from May to August 1894, with expedition members first traveling by train from Adelaide to the railhead at Oodnadatta in South Australia, then using camels...
. Following the expedition he met W. Baldwin Spencer, they wrote The Native Tribes of Central Australia (1899), though it has been claimed that the authorship was mostly Spencer's. The German anthropologist Moritz von Leonhardi
Moritz von Leonhardi
Moritz Freiherr von Leonhardi was a German anthropologist.-Life and work:Leonhardi was the son of the Minister Plenipotentiary Ludwig Freiherr von Leonhardi and Luise, née Bennigsen. He grew up in Karben and Darmstadt. He studied law in Heidelberg until he had to cancel due to sickness. Since...
was very much inspired by this publication. Later, together with Carl Strehlow
Carl Strehlow
Carl Friedrich Strehlow was a German Lutheran missionary in outback Australia who headed the Finke River Mission in Hermannsburg, Northern Territory from 1894-1922. He learnt and documented the languages of the Arrernte and Luritja people, and published together with Moritz von Leonhardi a...
Leonhardi partly opposed Gillen’s sand Spencer’s theses. In 1900 Gillen was elected president of the anthropological of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science held at Melbourne. He enjoyed the experience very much. To Spencer's regret Gillen had been transferred from Alice Springs to Moonta in 1899, but in 1901 he was given leave by the South Australian government to join Spencer in an expedition which took them up to the Gulf of Carpentaria
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
. Their journey led to the publication of The Northern Tribes of Central Australia (1904). Gillen's final fieldwork endeavour with Spencer was to Peake in South Australia where they camped for a number of weeks gathering further information on Arabanna people for inclusion on their 1904 publication. Gillen was also listed as a co-author of Spencer's The Arunta published in 1927.
Gillen remained at Moonta until July 1908 when he became postmaster at Port Pirie. In that year Spencer was hoping to arrange to go with him to Western Australia, but Gillen's health began to fail and so it was not possible. In 1911 he was weakening physically, and he died on 5 June 1912. His wife, formerly Miss Besley of Mount Gambier, three daughters and two sons survived him. A brother, Peter Paul Gillen, who was for many years a member of the South Australian legislative assembly, predeceased him.
The 'Friends of Gillen' were formed in 2009 and had their first inaugural meeting in 2010. Membership of the group is unknown.
Further reading
- Mulvaney, D. J. Gillen, Francis James (1855 - 1912), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, Melbourne University Press, 1983, pp 6-7.