[2019.0005] University Correspondence and Legal Arguments Pertaining to the 'George Murray Black' and 'Richard Berry' Collections of Human Remains

Description

Content Warning

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that these records contain content which is disturbing and may cause sadness or distress and offend against strongly held cultural prohibitions

IdentifierUMA-ACE-20190005Extent3 boxesLinear Meterage0.51Scope and ContentComprises 12 files pertaining to the University of Melbourne’s possession of Aboriginal ancestral remains - principally the ‘George Murray Black’ and ‘Richard Berry’ collections, but also relates to the Donald Thomson, Leonard Adams and Edward Woodward collections.

Files 2019.0005.00001 - 2019.0005.00003 relate to the legal case brought against the University by James Rueben Berg, a Gunditjmara man, in his powers as Inspector and Warden appointed under the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 (Vic). Uncle Jim Berg served the University a Notice to Impound and Detain Ancestral Remains held by University of Melbourne. This order was rejected by the University. The records show that despite legal counsel recommending the transfer, university executives and academics lobbied to retain possession.

The subsequent legal case brought against the University found it in breach of the Act, for unlawfully possessing Aboriginal ancestral remains without the necessary statutory consent as required of the Act (sections 12 and 31). The ‘George Murray Black’ collection of Aboriginal ancestral remains was ultimately transferred Museum’s Board for safekeeping at Museum Victoria in 1984.

Later files, 2019.0005.00004 -2019.0005.00012, relate to the September 2002 audit of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, when it was ‘discovered’ that the Richard Berry collection of human remains was still in the possession of the University. This collection contained Aboriginal ancestral remains as well as Ancestorial remains from other cultures. The disclosure of this collection prompted a second University-wide audit between 2002-2003, coordinated by the Compliance Office and the University Development Division. The ‘Richard Berry’ collection was transferred to the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council in 2002.

These files also contain correspondence with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, after a request from the museum’s Project Leader for Repatriation with regards to the return of Māori ancestral remains held by the University. These files also document the University’s development of a ‘human remains’ protocol – Protocol for the Accessioning, Storage and Deaccessioning of Human Remains and Burial Artefacts and Sacred or Secret Objects (2006).

This collection consists principally of internal and external correspondence, handwritten notes, legal advice/opinions, memos, file notes, notes from telephone conversations, notes from interviews, meeting agenda, statutory interpretations, newspaper cuttings, journal articles, financial statements and microfiche (Murray Black Collection catalogue), inventories, audits.

For analysis of the University of Melbourne's theft, exhumation and trade of Ancestral Remains see: Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne
Volume 1: Truth. This book can be downloaded for free from: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/dhoombak-goobgoowana/volume-1-truth
Collection CategoryUniversity, officialAccess StatusAccess restrictions applyRequest Access to RecordsRequest access to records

Unit

Provenance

CreatorThe University of Melbourne

Dates

Date1984-2009

Description Control

Previous System ID2019.0005State of ListFully listed

University of Melbourne Archives

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[2019.0005] University Correspondence and Legal Arguments Pertaining to the 'George Murray Black' and 'Richard Berry' Collections of Human Remains