Hands opening a large bound book to a photocopied notebook page

Berndt Field Notes Archive

The Berndt Field Notes Archive is a significant archive of Indigenous history and cultural knowledge.

The Berndt Field Notes Archive is held by the Berndt Museum. After 30 years under embargo, the Museum is pleased to be working with Indigenous and descendant communities to access materials containing cultural knowledge.

The Berndt Museum is an Indigenous-led museum, embedded within the University’s Indigenous Portfolio. We follow a community-focused model of custodianship and seek to engage with communities around the cultural care of their heritage and materials. We are active in the repatriation of belongings, objects, works of art and cultural knowledge. The University’s Research Integrity Policy follows the AIATSIS Code of Ethics, recognising Indigenous people’s rights to access, maintain and control, and benefit from their Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. 

Compiled by anthropologists Ronald and Catherine Berndt from approximately 1939 to 1985, the Berndt Field Notes Archive details their field trips in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The field notes contain cultural information and, in some cases, sacred knowledge for many communities visited by the anthropologists. 

Catherine Berndt endowed the field notes to The University of Western Australia in her will in 1994, placing them under a 30-year embargo until 13 May 2024. This lack of access has caused significant pain to many Indigenous peoples and communities, and it is important that communities are now able to regain access to their cultural knowledge. We are currently undertaking a community-led process for culturally determined access.

The information on this page is also available as a PDF:

Berndt Field Notes Archive – Information Sheet [PDF File, 204KB]

What communities and locations were visited?

The following table outlines the locations and communities visited by the Berndts over a more than 40-year period. Locations are segmented by state, with approximately 70 locations visited.

Disclaimer: As current Museum staff have not had access to the field notes, we acknowledge that this is not an exhaustive list and will be updated regularly as the notes are reviewed in tandem with communities. Locations are listed as originally recorded with updated spelling or naming in brackets.
  • New South Wales
     Location  Years visited by the Berndts
     Menindee  1943
     Woy Woy  1940

  • Northern Territory
    Location
     Years visited by the Berndts
    Adelaide River
    1945, 1946
    Alice Springs
    1944, 1945, 1946
    Arnhem Land
    1961
    Bagot
    1945, 1946
    Bathurst Island
     1946, 1947
    Birrindudu
    1944, 1945
    Croker Island
    1946, 1966, 1968
    Daly River
    1945, 1946
    Daly Waters
    1945, 1946, 1947
    Darwin
    1945
    Delissaville
    1946
    Elcho Island
    1947, 1949, 1950, 1958, 1966, 1968
    Ernabella (Pukatja)
    1944
    Gordon Downs (Nicholson/Flora Downs) (WA/NT)
     1945
    Goulburn Islands
     1946, 1947, 1950, 1961, 1964
    Groote (Eylandt)
    1947
    Helen Springs
    1944
    Inverway
    1944
    Katherine
    1945
    Koolpinyah
    1945
    Larrimah
    1945
    Limbunya
    1944, 1945
    Manbulloo
    1945
    Marrakai
    1945
    Mataranka
    1945
    Melville Island (Yermalner)
    1946
    Milingimbi
    1946, 1950
    Oenpelli (Gunbalanya)
    1947, 1949, 1950, 1958, 1966, 1968
    Port Keats (Wadeye)
    1947
    Waterloo
    1944
    Wave Hill (Kalkarindji)
    1944, 1945
    Wave Hill Police Station
    1944
    Willeroo
    1945
    Woolner
    1945
    Yirrkala
    1946, 1947, 1958, 1964, 1968

  • South Australia
    Location
    Years visited by the Berndts
    Adelaide
    1942, 1943, 1944, 1940
    Dieri
    1941
    Lower Murray Bridge
    1940
    Maitland
    1944
    Meningie
    1941, 1944
    Mount Gambier
    1944
    Murray Bridge
    1942
    Naracoorte
    1944 
    Ngadjuri
    1940, 1942
    Oodnadatta
    1944
    Ooldea (Yuldea)
    1939, 1941, 1942
    Point McLeay (Raukkan)
    1942, 1943
    Port Augusta
    1944
    Port Victoria
    1944
    Tailem Bend
    1944
    Wellington
    1944
    Yaraldi
    1939, 1940, 1943

  • Western Australia
    Location   Years visited by the Berndts
    Balgo (Wirrimanu)
     1958, 1960, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1985
    Depuch Island  1962
    East Murchison
     1957
    Eastern Goldfields
     1957
    Gordon Downs (Nicholson/Flora Downs) (WA/NT)
     1945
    Halls Creek
     1962, 1969
    Port Hedland  1962
    Roebourne (Yirramagardu)
     1962
    Warburton (Milyirrtjarra)
     1959
    Wiluna
     1957
    Wyndham
     1969

  • Papua New Guinea
    Location
     Years visited by the Berndts
    Busarasa (Pusarasa)
     1953
    Goroka
     1952
    Kainantu
     1951, 1952
    Kamano
     1952
    Kogu (Kagu)
     1951, 1952, 1953
    Lae
     1952
    Port Moresby
    1951, 1952
    Usurufa
     1952

How to access the Berndt Field Notes Archive

The Museum will undertake community-first access approach to the field notes. We will work directly with descendant communities and their representatives, enabling communities to have control over their cultural property and to determine what wider access is culturally appropriate.

We acknowledge that most communities have never had access to this important archive of cultural material and that many of the people featured in the field notes have now passed away. As the field notes contain cultural knowledge from many different communities, we recommend reaching out to us for an initial conversation to discuss a process for accessing the materials and determining ongoing use.

What to consider when planning consultation and access

While many notebooks speak to specific community trips, others contain information about multiple locations and/or language groups. For instance, when resources were limited the Berndts would use blank pages at the end of a notebook for another location. When possible, pages will be separated for access, but where information from multiple groups is intermixed, cross-community consultation will be required.

During their fieldwork, Ronald Berndt worked primarily with men and Catherine Berndt with women. We recognise that for the initial review the field notes will likely require differential access to ensure cultural safety, which will be determined by communities. 

While we will focus on ensuring community access in the first instance, we understand that communities may wish to use external researchers or advisors to access the field notes on their behalf. We also welcome requests from research projects that are community endorsed, in which researchers have established strong, ongoing connections with community. In most instances, communities should be given the first opportunity to view the contents of the field notes to determine whether it is appropriate for external researchers to view them. 

Please note that access to the field notes should be done in consultation with the relevant community/s, in line with the AIATSIS Code of Ethics and community consultation protocols. Researchers will also need to provide any relevant ethics approvals already received from research institutions.

Contact us to arrange an initial conservation to discuss a consultation process appropriate to these different issues and considerations.

What condition are the field notes in?

Given their age and delicate condition, the original notebooks cannot be handled directly. However, they have been digitised and indexed by date, author, field trip, location and content type. A page-by-page summary of each is available upon request. Printed copies are also available. 

A small percentage of the field notes have not been digitised or indexed. We will be working in collaboration with relevant communities on their digitisation.

Legibility and transcription 

The field notes are written in cursive script, in the handwriting of both Ronald and Catherine Berndt, and Arthur Capell’s notation system. The notes also contain certain interpretive challenges, for instance languages might be transcribed phonetically, rather than orthographically.  

The field notes will require an ongoing collaborative process for interpretation and transcription. We are able to assist communities with transcription services as needed.

Ways to view the field notes

Digitally

Digitised versions of the field notes are available. Digital access will be provided through secure channels and on the condition the material will not be distributed outside of the approved parties. 

In-person

The Museum holds vast cultural material, works of art and archival collections. These may be of great interest to communities and may relate directly to the field notes contents.

We welcome in-person visits to access the field notes and other cultural material. Please note, visits must be booked in advance to ensure we have adequate staff to assist. We recommended getting in touch about your visit at least 6–8 weeks in advance. 

Travel support

When possible, we are able offer some travel funding assistance for Indigenous communities interested in accessing or researching their materials in the Museum. To see if we can help your community to visit, please email [email protected].

Apply for access

Please fill out the below form and we’ll be in touch within 14 days to discuss the next steps for your request. If you have any questions or issues with the form, please give us a call on (08) 6488 2854 or email [email protected]

Download the PDF version if you wish to submit an access request via post or email.

Field Notes – Access Request Form [PDF File, 191 KB]

Postal Address
M255A
35 Stirling Highway
Perth, Western Australia
6009

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