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Cultural Collections Overview

The cultural heritage material held by the Australian Museum is unique and significant on a global level. The collections of cultural material we hold encompass Indigenous Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

It was not until the late 1880s that the Museum began actively acquiring cultural objects. Today the collections, numbering approximately 1,110,000 individual items, are a major strength of the Museum because of their size, breadth, range and historic significance. We promote the involvement of Indigenous peoples in issues relating to their cultural heritage and especially foster relationships with groups whose material culture is represented in our collections. All collections are managed with respect for their original owners. The collections attract researchers and community members nationally and internationally.

The Anthropology Branch manages artefacts from cultures that are changing rapidly. Our acquisition policy is not restricted to acquiring material of pre- or early European contact times. Contemporary art and craft forms an increasingly large proportion of our collections.

The collections are divided into the following broad sections:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections
• Pacific Islands Collections
• Asia, Africa and Americas Collections

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