CULTURE OF NATIVES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23228, 23 December 1938, Page 9

CULTURE OF NATIVES

STUDY BY GERMANS . - j EXPEDITION IN AUSTRALIA [from our own correspondent] : SYDNEY, Dec. 16 A German expedition, the members of which are interested ; in aboriginal rock paintings and the social organisation and general culture of ' the natives, is expected to return to Perth in December from the Northwest. The expedition is being financed by the Ethnological Institute of Flankf urt-arn-Main; the Ethnological! Museum there, and the City of Frank-fart-am-Main, and the party comprises Dr. Helmith Petrie (leader), Mr. Douglas Fox, Dr. Andrea Lomtfielj anq m two 1 women artists, Mrs. Anges Senultz and Miss Gerta Kleist. - Tlie party went from Broome to Wal-. ■ cott Inlet," about. 300 miles north of > Broome, and made its headquarters at . the Munj a Native Settlement for nearly h four months, during which they , travelled within a radius of 40 miles 1 of Mitnja on mules provided by th,e , State Commissioner of Native Affairs, r Mr. A. 0. Neville. The party then went to Kunmunva Presbyterian Mission and , on to Sale River, where they remained' ] for a few weeks before returning to v Kunmunva. Dr. Petrie and Mr. [ returned'to Munja and proceeded from ' there by camel to the Drysdala River. * Mission, a distance of about. 200 miles. " The women artists obtained a large > number of replicas of the rock paint- • ings, made portraits of natives, and took many photographs. Dr. Petrio was very pleased with his work on the social aspects of native culture.