Sacred stones of Aborigines safe

Press, 24 June 1985, Page 28

Sacred stones of Aborigines safe

NZPA-AAP Darwin The Strehlow collection, Australia’s anthropological “crown jewels,” is expected to be delivered to the vaults of the Northern Territory museum soon. The collection was reported last year to have been smuggled out of Australia by the Strehlow Research Foundation for fear of confiscation by the Federal Government. Negotiations for its return have been continuing since January and indemnity against prosecution for exporting the material, the main stumbling block, is now thought to have been granted by the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Mr Clyde Holding. The collection was entrusted to the late Professor Ted Strehlow in the 1930 s by tribal elders who feared their culture was dying. It is believed to contain hundreds of the tjurunga stones, seen by Aborigines as a sacred tie between the and the families to

which they belong. Each stone is accompanied by a complete genealogy as well as films and tapes of secret ceremonies and songs. Government sources said the bulk of the collection, about two shipping container loads, was believed to be still in Adelaide, although some artefacts and documents may have been taken out of the country. A spokesman for the Minister of Conservation, Mr Coulter, said the collection would be stored in the museum vaults unopened on its return. Interested parties, including Aborigines, would be invited to discuss its future. However, it was expected the collection would eventually be housed in a research centre to be established near Alice Springs with Commonwealth and Northern Territory Government funding, the spokesman said. It has not been decided whether the collection will go public display. .