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First Australians

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A split image featuring two women. On the left, a woman with curly hair and a black hat wears a t-shirt with Aboriginal art and the text 'For Our Elders'. On the right, a smiling woman with curly hair and large earrings stands in front of artwork. A circular logo for 'Wilay Designs' with two illustrated possums is centered between them.
School holiday activity: Connecting to Country through art

These holidays, celebrate art, culture, and storytelling with Ngunawal artists Jazz and Kristal Matthews from Wilay Designs. During the session, participants will explore the Wangka Wakanutja exhibition to be inspired by the Papunya Community’s remarkable publishing and artistic output.

Event
An illustration of black pen on green paper of a snake wrapped around a boom box. This is pictured beside an exhibition sign in a gallery.

(L) Kulata Dennis Nelson and Papunya Literature Production Centre, Pijkatj anta rikulta [The snake and the recorder], 1990, nla.obj-3286603500; (R) Wangka Wakanutja exhibition signage at the entrance to the Library's gallery

Reconciliation Day: Wangka Wakanutja exhibition tours

The National Library is proud to participate in Reconciliation Day. Our expert curators ran a free guided tour of our major exhibition Wangka Wakanutja.

Event
library-card-catalogue
Reconciliation Day: First Nations family history tour

The National Library is proud to participate in Reconciliation Day. This is an introduction to the First Nations family history resources we offer.

Event
A black snake, with red and yellow snake emerging from the darkness a white and yellow glow surrounding it

Charlotte Phillipus Nupurrula, Thomas Stevens Tjapangati and Papunya Literature Production Centre, Yara waṉampitjarra, 1984, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3286350047

Reading the Papunya Readers – themes and purposes

Topic
What stories do, and why they exist.

Digital Classroom
Collection guide
Read Collection

Oral history interviews with Charles Perkins, a key figure in Aboriginal rights, alongside a pilot project on how people form mental maps. It also includes ongoing interviews for the 'Seven Years On' project, launched in 1995, which focuses on emerging Aboriginal leaders. This collection offers valuable insights into Aboriginal activism, leadership, and personal stories that have shaped history.

Collection guide
First Australians
Action shot during a netball game as a women jumps up to prevent another from scoring

Rachel Bach, New South Wales player Jayda Grant preparing to shoot during the inaugural First Nations Netball Tournament, Melbourne, Victoria, 2024, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3433581878

Photographs of the inaugural First Nations netball tournament

View photos from Australia's inaugural First Nations netball tournament, now in Trove.

Blog
Collection guide
Petherick Collection

About 15,000 books and pamphlets. The great strength of the collection is in Pacific voyages and early Australiana with many very rare items. Also manuscripts including papers of Joseph Banks, maps and pictures.

Collection guide
First Australians
An oval shaped bronze medal. The oval is made of a belt buckled at the bottom. At the top is a stylised royal crown. In the centre of the oval is a monogram made up of an intertwined "V.A." Behind the monogram is pattered red glass. Around the oval in raised letters are the words 'For gallantry in saving life on land'. The medal is held by a ribbon of red and white vertical stripes

Albert Medal presented to Aya-I-Ga, also known as Neighbour, for gallantry, 1911 [realia], 1912, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-139608611

Neighbour and his bravery

Topic

Aya-I-Ga, known as Neighbour, risked everything to save a life and became one of Australia’s bravest heroes. 

Digital Classroom
First Australians
A detailed historical map of Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, depicting early settlement areas, marked camps, and referenced landmarks such as gardens and marine camps. Includes a list of ship names from the First Fleet and geographical details.

Francis Fowkes, Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, in the County of Cumberland, 1789, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230578175 

Nan Kivell Collection

About 5,000 books, pamphlets and periodicals, over 11,000 paintings, drawings and prints, around 800 maps and over 300 manuscripts mostly published 1770–1900. Largely relating to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific including Antarctica.

Collection guide
First Australians
Map of eastern Australia noting where there are organised churches, mission centres and outstations

Aborigines Inland Mission of Australia, A.I.M. field map, 1972, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2848085500

Missions and reserves records

Searching the administrative records of the missions and reserves can help you fill important gaps in your family history. 

Research guide
Collection guide
McHugh Collection

Recordings of interviews made by Siobhán McHugh while producing various series for the ABC and also when working on her book Minefields and Miniskirts, together with papers and manuscripts.

Collection guide
Four framed pictures hanging on a wall that has an image of an island on it.
Mabo v Queensland (No. 2): 30th Anniversary

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Mabo decision, the Library invited Gail Mabo, Eddie’s daughter, to select material for display to mark this landmark moment in Australian legal history.

Exhibition
First Australians

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