Lester Hiatt
Encyclopedia
Dr Lester Richard Hiatt (aka Les Hiatt) was a scholar of Australian Aboriginal societies
who promoted Australian Aboriginal studies within both the academic world and within the wider public for almost 50 years.. He is now regarded as having been one of Australia
's foremost anthropologists
fieldwork is in, and around, Maningrida, in the Northern Territory
's Arnhem Land
.
From the late 1950s (at which time the Australian Aboriginal community of Maningrida was first being formed and gazetted as a township), Dr Les Hiatt spent more than 45 years, of and on, researching, learning and recording the views, language, songs, stories, understandings, and practices of the Burarra
or Gidjingarli language speakers.
It was here at Maningrida that Les developed some of his deepest, most persevering research relationships, producing at least one film and a book in memory of Frank Gurrmanamana, one of the 'informant
s' with whom he worked most closely.
and Fraser
governments, with the early establishment of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Significantly, for instance, Dr Hiatt effectively challenged the previously conventional understanding that patrilineal descent is the primary social organisational principle across all Aboriginal Australians (a 'knowledge' inherited from the work of British social anthropologist, Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
)
In 1982, the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
(RAI) awarded its annual ethnographic film prize to a film ('Waiting for Harry') recorded at Maningrida, within which Dr Hiatt played a key role both in its filming and as an 'actor' within the film
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
who promoted Australian Aboriginal studies within both the academic world and within the wider public for almost 50 years.. He is now regarded as having been one of Australia
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...
's foremost anthropologists
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...
Primary Ethnographic Research
The part of Australia where Dr Hiatt did most of his primary, detailed ethnographicEthnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
fieldwork is in, and around, Maningrida, in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
's Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
.
From the late 1950s (at which time the Australian Aboriginal community of Maningrida was first being formed and gazetted as a township), Dr Les Hiatt spent more than 45 years, of and on, researching, learning and recording the views, language, songs, stories, understandings, and practices of the Burarra
Burarra
The Burarra are an Aboriginal people of Maningrida, in the Northern Territory in Australia. They speak the Djinang language, which is a non-Pama-Nyungan language....
or Gidjingarli language speakers.
It was here at Maningrida that Les developed some of his deepest, most persevering research relationships, producing at least one film and a book in memory of Frank Gurrmanamana, one of the 'informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
s' with whom he worked most closely.
Institutional Reforms and Change
Institutional assistance and support for 'Aboriginalist' scholarship (studies into Australian Aboriginal societies) has improved from that time when Dr Hiatt first started his own studies, and he has since been attributed with playing an important role assisting and supporting this reform (particularly during the WhitlamGough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
and Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
governments, with the early establishment of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is Australia's premier institution for information about the cultures and lifestyles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is located on Acton...
Contributions to Australian Anthropology
In addition to Dr Hiatt's detailed ethnographic records and works, there is a substantial body of written works inquiring into, questioning and sometimes challenging some of the more conventionally 'received' anthropological knowledges held by academia and the general public about Australian Aboriginal peoples. Some of these works are identified and briefly annotated below.Significantly, for instance, Dr Hiatt effectively challenged the previously conventional understanding that patrilineal descent is the primary social organisational principle across all Aboriginal Australians (a 'knowledge' inherited from the work of British social anthropologist, Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Radcliffe-Brown
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of Structural Functionalism.- Biography :...
)
In 1982, the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is the world's longest established anthropological organization, with a global membership. Since 1843, it has been at the forefront of new developments in anthropology and new means of communicating them to a broad audience...
(RAI) awarded its annual ethnographic film prize to a film ('Waiting for Harry') recorded at Maningrida, within which Dr Hiatt played a key role both in its filming and as an 'actor' within the film
Annotated Sample of Works
- HIATT, L.R (1985) "Aboriginal land ownership'". Current affairs bulletin. Volume 62. Number 3. Pages 17– 23.
-
- Examines methods of determining traditional ownership of land, with reference to Gidjingarli people; discusses applicability of Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 as a model for State Governments.
- HIATT, L.R & JONES, Rhys (1988) "Aboriginal conceptions of the workings of nature" in R.W. Home (Ed) Australian science in the making. Cambridge University Press. cambridge, England. Pages 1 – 21.
-
- Deals with Aboriginal conceptions of the workings of nature, includingarchaeological evidenceArchaeologyArchaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
; discussing plants, animals, totemismTotemismTotemism is a system of belief in which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, such as an animal or plant...
, magic, magical use of songs; Manikay songs, Gidjingarli, ArandaAranda-Places and events:*Aranda de Duero, a Spanish town located in Burgos province, the site of the Council of Aranda*Aranda , see Comarcas of Aragon*Aranda, Australian Capital Territory, a Canberra suburb named after the Arrernte people...
, Arnhem Land.
- Deals with Aboriginal conceptions of the workings of nature, includingarchaeological evidence
- HIATT, L.R (1996) Arguments about Aborigines: Australia and the evolution of social anthropology. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, United Kingdom.
-
- "Gives a history of Aboriginal anthropology examined through debates about aspects of traditional culture; cultural and political background to the development of anthropology; models of Aboriginal land ownership - definition of clan and horde; effects of land claims and native title recognition; kinship and marriage systems - problem of group marriage; definition of the family; marriage relations; the place of women - bestowal; role of womens ritual - love magic; sexuality and gender; theories of social evolution and control; political organisation - autonomy and hierarchy; high gods (Baiame, Wonjina, Rainbow Serpent) - totemism and cosmology; conception beliefs; incest taboo - mother-in-law avoidance and sister antagonism; interpretation of ritual (the Kulama of the Tiwi); initiation"
- GURRMANAMANA, Frank, HIATT L.R, McKENZIE, Kim (2002) People of the Rivermouth: The Joborr texts of Frank Gurrmanamana Aboriginal Studies Press. Canberra.
-
- "..arguably the most comprehensive work ever produced on a single Australian Aboriginal group. It is the result of a four-decade long relationship between the Anbarra people of the Blyth River in northern Arnhem Land and leading scholars from various fields of research.
-
- The book and CD-ROM are based on twenty extraordinary texts created by Frank Gurrmanamana in 1960 to explain to anthropologist Les Hiatt the protocols and etiquette of Anbarra society. They follow an imagined life from birth through boyhood, to marriage and death."
Further reading
- HIATT, L.R. (2001) "It seemed an interesting career to follow" in Geoffry Gray (Ed) Before it's too late: anthropological reflections, 1950-1970. Oceania Monograph 51, University of Sydney. Pages 108-116.
- CROWN CONTENT (2005) Who's Who in AustraliaWho's Who in AustraliaThe Who's Who in Australia is an Australian biographical reference first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It has been used by academics as a resource that identifies Australia's leading individuals, and has been analysed when studying the social backgrounds –...
. Cown Content. Melbourne: see L.R. Hiatt's entry.
External links
- Interview with Les Hiatt, 14 July 2005, from Alan Macfarlane's video archive Accessed 29 February 2008
- Sydney Morning Herald ObituaryAccessed 29 February 2008
- Royal Anthropological Institute Annotation of the film 'Waiting for Harry' within which Les Hiatt played a significant partAccessed 1 March 2008